


'Tis the damn season

by earlgrey_milktea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breaking Up & Making Up, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hinata has great friends, M/M, atsumu knows how to carry a torch for someone, but poor coping skills, holiday romcom vibes even though it's not the holidays anymore, i’d like to meet oikawa out in the parking lot, just to talk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: Hinata tries to get over his ex, Oikawa crashes an interview, and Atsumu has something to prove.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu/Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 153
Kudos: 371





	1. Chapter 1

Hinata is in the midst of packing for his winter off-season when he sees it—a familiar, faded blue oversized jersey, haphazardly tucked in between a few of his other sleeping shirts in his bottom drawer.

The first remnant of Oikawa that he’s seen in months.

He thought he had gotten rid of it all after that first week, when the realization finally hit him that he had been unexpectedly and unmistakably _dumped_ by his boyfriend of over two years. And after days of losing sleep and staring at his phone, willing for it to light-up and display that familiar name, Hinata finally let go of the disbelief and allowed the grief and anger to overtake him.

The tears came first. Unbidden and messy and loud, Hinata sobbed—all but howling as he curled into himself on the couch, his hands covering his face and pressing most uncomfortably hard against his eyelids in a futile attempt to stop the hot tears from flowing. 

And then hours later, after furiously wiping at his face with his sleeve and giving his blotchy-faced reflection an impromptu pep talk in his bathroom mirror, Hinata was filled with the inexplicable need to _purge_. Grabbing a large trash bag from beneath his kitchen sink, he went about scouring every inch of his apartment, throwing in every item that even remotely reminded him of his ex—borrowed clothing, books half-read and left behind on his nightstand, photographs of the two of them torn off their magnets from the refrigerator—everything was stuffed into the bag until there was no room left. 

Hinata rode the high of that frenzied adrenaline until he was back on the couch where he began, with a now almost-empty apartment and three large trash bags placed in the far corner of the living room, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill once more.

It didn't take long for Heitor and Nice to realize that _something_ was wrong. When Hinata had missed their weekly weekend brunch the following day, the two showed up knocking on his front door and were promptly shocked speechless when it opened, revealing an almost comatose Hinata. His eyes were red and swollen from crying and lack of sleep, and it looked like he hadn't showered in days.

"It's worse than we thought," Heiter muttered under his breath to his wife, who was urgently tugging at his shirt sleeve at the sight of their disheveled friend.

"Guys, I'm fine. I s-swear," Hinata sniffed pathetically from his doorway, and Heitor had glanced over his shoulder to survey the ransacked apartment behind him with a shake of his head.

"It looks like you've been robbed, Shouyou."

"Well, it kinda feels like it, too," Hinata responded with a small, sad laugh, and the broken sound of it instantly triggered Nice into action, brushing past her husband to pull the shorter man tightly to her chest and prompting him to wrap his arms around her in turn.

"Oh, Shouyou, honey. I'm so sorry."

It was hard to hold back the tears at that, so Hinata let himself cry into her shoulder, telling himself that this would be the last time he let himself break in front of his friends. 

Except it wouldn't be. Not for that night, and not for months after.

Fortunately, Heitor and Nice took matters into their own hands after that.

Seeing the large, overstuffed trash bags in the corner of the room, Heitor insisted on handling the matter on his own, dragging each one not-so delicately out of the apartment, and assuring Hinata that he would handle the prompt return of certain items to Argentina, if need be. Though, Hinata had just told him not to bother and directed him to the location of his apartment's garbage chute; because if Oikawa had _wanted_ any of that stuff, then he shouldn't have left them behind to begin with.

And, well, if Hinata cried even further at his own admission, the two didn't comment on it.

While Heitor dealt with the manual labor, Nice curled up next to Hinata on the couch holding two overfilled glasses of white wine, one for each of them, and a furniture catalog pulled up on his laptop so that they could replace all of the stuff he had thrown away.

"Did you really have to get rid of _all_ of your bedding?" Nice asked, one eyebrow arched as she watched him scroll through the catalog disinterestedly.

When Hinata turned to look at her with a solemn expression, she took the memo and immediately backtracked. "Okay, Shouyou. Whatever you need to do." And then after a moment, "But don't get those, they are hideous. Here, let me do this for you."

Not long after Hinata passed his laptop onto the female beside him, Pedro had arrived with bags of snacks and take-out, as well as a box containing his gaming consoles, clearly meaning business if the serious air about him was anything to go by.

"All right. I've got the three break-up essentials: video games, anime, and junk food. Take your pick, Shouyou."

Nice snorted from beside Hinata as the younger man placed the assortment of items on the coffee table in front of them, moving to hook-up his Switch to the television set. "You are such a nerd, kid. You forgot the most important one."

Pedro cocked his head at her from over his shoulder with a blank expression. And rolling her eyes, Nice pulled the half-empty bottle of wine that was tucked between her and Hinata and waved it at him. 

" _Hellooo._ Booze. Break-up essential number _one._ "

"I've got to agree with Nice on this one," Hinata added, taking a generous gulp out of his glass if only to make a point. "Followed closely by an extensive round of Mario Kart."

" _That_ I can help you with," Pedro said, tossing them both controllers and settling himself criss-cross on the ground in front of them as the upbeat intro music began to play, while Nice leaned over across the coffee table to peruse the food options in the to-go boxes.

"I call Peach!"

"Hey, you _know_ that Peach is my go-to, Nice."

"Yeah, that's not very _nice_ of you. Heh."

"Do you know how may times I've heard that, nerd? It's getting old."

It was in these moments that Hinata felt the ache in his chest finally begin to subside into something less unbearable. And weeks and weeks later, in his newly furnished apartment, every trace of Oikawa seemingly erased from existence, he finally felt like he could breathe again. 

But now, staring wide-eyed at the faded CA San Juan Team Jersey intermixed with the rest of his clothes, it’s like all of those months that passed never happened. Like Hinata is right back where he started.

He thought he was over this already.

Over _him_.

But Hinata feels the same deep, gut-wrenching ache before he can stop it, and he reaches out for the familiar blue of the jersey, letting his fingers press against the soft cotton before gripping it tightly in his clenched fist, unwittingly recalling the moment he last wore it.

-

_“You understand, don’t you? Why this can’t work out between us?”_

_-_

But back then, Hinata hadn't realized that it would be his last.

Well, he hadn’t realized that _any_ of it would be his lasts. Which is pretty unfair, when Hinata thinks about it. 

Because he had made an effort to remember all of his firsts with Oikawa. The first time they kissed—raising himself up on his tippy-toes and reveling in the shocked, pleased expression on the handsome brunette's face after getting dropped off at home; the first time they danced—slow and steady to the gentle strumming of a guitar in a quaint, outdoor patio; the first time they said _‘I love you’_ —whispered against the soft skin of his shoulder just as he was falling asleep. 

So many firsts, but no lasts. If Hinata knew there were going to be lasts, he would have remembered them—he would have paid better attention... 

_Wouldn’t he have?_

It’s a dangerous line of thought to go down, and before he can go any further, Hinata quickly brings up both hands to slap himself soundly on the cheeks, a welcoming sting that shocks him back to the present.

He can’t keep doing this. He _can’t_. Because once he starts remembering, there is no stopping it. 

And he can’t afford to spiral again.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hinata drops the jersey onto the floor and finishes packing his bags. He throws it out with the rest of the trash on his way to the airport.

-

Kenma offers to pick him up when his plane lands.

As he waits for his ride, Hinata stuffs one freezing hand in his pocket to avoid the biting chill in the air and uses the other to adjust the duffel bag strap across his chest. After spending the past few years abroad, he had forgotten how cold the weather could be back in Japan, and he laments his lack of appropriate winter attire.

He finds himself longing for the milder climate back in Brazil as he burrows his head further in the zipped-up collar of his jacket, scanning all of the cars slowing down and zooming past the passenger pick-up area.

“Shouyou!”

The second that Hinata spots the dark-haired man waving at him from the other end of the walkway, he feels a wide grin spread across his mouth. Before he knows it, he’s already darting through crowds of people, increasing his pace until he’s close enough to excitedly wrap his arms around one of his dearest friends.

“Kenma!”

“Oof. Shouyou, your hugs are getting ridiculous now,” Kenma huffs with a fond irritation and lets himself get lifted from the ground in a showy display of both Hinata’s strength and excitement at their reunion.

“I missed you so much, Kenma. You have no idea,” Hinata says as he buries his frost-bitten face into the thick, wool scarf wrapped around Kenma’s neck. “Thank you for picking me up...and for being so _warm_.”

Kenma chuckles as Hinata ignores all semblance of personal space and stuffs his freezing hands into the other man's coat pocket, latching onto his warmer, gloved fingers. “It’s good to see you, too, Shouyou.”

“Wow, do I not get a hug as well?” A familiar drawl says from inside the car beside them, and Hinata peeks his head over Kenma’s shoulder to see Kuroo smirking at the two of them from the driver’s side window.

“Kuroo-san!” Hinata detaches himself from Kenma to greet the other man, leaning his head into the car window and letting Kuroo ruffle his hair in greeting.

“Long time no see, Shrimpy-chan.”

“Likewise,” Hinata says, grinning up at him. 

“Let’s get going. It’s freezing,” Kenma says into his scarf, shuffling to stand beside Hinata at the passenger door. “Do you need help with your things?”

Hinata shakes his head as he pulls back from the window. It doesn’t take long for him to load up his duffel bag and small carry-on into the trunk of the car before sliding into the backseat, sighing in contentment as the toasty warmth inside the vehicle seems to envelop him instantly. 

Kenma smiles at him from the rearview mirror. “Hungry?”

Hinata immediately perks up at the suggestion. “Ramen?”

Kuroo laughs at the eagerness in his tone and puts the car in drive. “I know a good place we can go to.”

They take him to a ramen shop closer into the city, and Hinata feels himself overcome with nostalgia and comfort at the simple familiarity of it as they walk inside. As much as he loves Brazil, there is just something inexplicably soothing about being back home in Japan, and he’s almost surprised by how much he's really missed it.

It really has been too long since he last visited. 

“How long will you be in town for?” Kuroo asks once they’ve settled into a small booth near the back of the restaurant. 

“Just for the month, and then it’s back to training in January,” Hinata responds, thinking of his schedule with Asas São Paulo. “Honestly, I’m surprised they let us have the holidays to ourselves. They are pretty strict about time off.”

From beside Kuroo, Kenma rests his chin on his palm as he watches Hinata closely. “That’s why you haven’t visited in a while, huh?”

Hinata doesn’t have to look up from his menu to know that his friend is prodding at him without actually asking him outright. “Yeah, I guess I have been pretty busy.” He doesn’t add that he has purposefully been avoiding returning home after the break-up, though knowing Kenma, the other man had probably deduced that on his own.

“I haven’t seen Natsu or my mom in ages,” Hinata adds with a loud sigh, hoping that his attempt at making light of the conversation isn’t too obvious, “Planning to visit them in Miyagi next weekend.”

Kenma nods his head in understanding. “Where are you staying until then?” 

Grinning, Hinata closes the menu in front of him with a loud snap. “With the Jackals, of course.”

"Ah."

“I’m sure Bokuto didn’t really leave you with any other option,” Kuroo responds knowingly, snickering as Hinata rolls his eyes.

“Bokuto-san was quite insistent on having our old roomie situation back,” Hinata says with a laugh. In fact, his former teammate had bombarded him with text after text, insisting that Hinata stay with them over winter break to catch-up. And not having any other options at the time, Hinata quickly agreed to the arrangement.

“Is he still staying with Sakusa-san and Miya-san?” Kenma asks, referring to their old MSBY roommate set-up. The four of them had shared an apartment back when Hinata was still on the team. Now, almost four years later, the set-up had not changed much.

“Yep! I can’t wait to see them. It’s been so long.” Almost a year, actually, if Hinata thinks about it. The last time he had seen everyone was back before he and Oikawa had—

Hinata mentally shakes his head at that. Nope. Not going there. He quickly barrels on before his mind can catch up. “Have to crash on the couch, though. Apparently they did some renovating to my old room.”

Suddenly, Kuroo chokes on his water, half-laughing and half-coughing as Kenma elbows him in the side not-so discretely from beneath the table, causing Hinata's eyes to widen in slow realization.

“Oh god, what did they do?”

“You’ll just have to see when you get there, Shrimpy-chan,” Kuroo responds with a dismissive wave of his hand, trying and failing to school his expression in order to hide the amusement from his face. 

Hinata narrows his eyes at the other man, pursing his lips in thought as he thinks back to the countless shenanigans he and his former roommates had managed to get themselves into back when they all lived together. Whatever it was, it couldn’t possibly be as bad as the Plastic Wrap War of 2018. Or the time when Atsumu-san had replaced all of the deodorants in the bathroom with cream cheese. Or when Bokuto-san mistook the dish soap for dishwasher soap and flooded the apartment, forcing them all to share a single bedroom for a week.

He says as much to the other two and has to stop himself from laughing out loud when Kenma and Kuroo’s expressions quickly morph from amused to horrified in a matter of minutes.

“You all deserve each other,” Kuroo manages to say with a shake of his head. “I don’t know why Sakusa puts up with you three.”

“Let alone _how_ ,” Kenma adds, raising a brow.

“Omi-san loves us,” Hinata affirms with a grin. “He’ll never say so, but despite all of his fussing, he’s never tried to move out after all of this time, so that has to count for something, right?”

“Maybe he’s just not as smart as I thought he was,” Kuroo says dryly, earning him another laugh from Hinata. "Or perhaps, he's a glutton for punishment."

This leads Hinata to share about the time he made Omi-san try a jello shot for the first time, after mistakingly doubling the amount of alcohol required for the recipe, and the three of them continue to share stories and catch up, only pausing when the waitress stops by their table and takes their orders, dropping off a pot of steaming hot green tea at their table.

“So, there’s something that I wanted to run past you, Hinata,” Kuroo says, blowing lightly at his tea before taking a sip. “It’s the reason why I decided to tag along today, actually.”

“Oh, you mean, you didn’t just want to third-wheel Kenma and me for fun?” Hinata comments teasingly.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Kenma responds, a small smile playing on his lips as he trades a knowing glance with Hinata.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kuroo interjects, rolling his eyes at the two of them. “You going to hear me out or what?”

Hinata is still smiling when he looks over expectantly to their darker-haired companion. “Yes, sorry, Kuroo-san. You were saying?”

“So, here’s the thing,” Kuroo begins, steepling his fingers together beneath his chin, “We want to do another monster generation interview for the Japan Volleyball Association.”

“Oh, like what we did with Bokuto-san, Kageyama, and Ushijima-san a few years back?” Hinata asks, thinking back to when the four of them were interviewed for the Japan Olympic team. 

Kuroo nods his head. “Yes, except this time, we’ve contacted _everyone_ to join. The whole monster generation.”

_Everyone?_ Hinata’s eyes widen in surprise at that. “No way! That’s amazing, Kuroo-san!”

“Yeah, we were really impressed by everyone’s positive responses. We didn’t think that we could get a hold of everyone, honestly,” Kuroo explains. “Akane-san and Fumi-san were really determined, though.”

“So who all is going to be there?” Hinata asks, immediately distracted when the waitress comes back with their steaming bowls of ramen. He eyes his own with excitement as it’s placed in front of him and misses when Kuroo and Kenma exchange worried glances over his bowl of soup.

“Well, the four of you from before, if you are down. Plus, Miya, Hoshiumi, Sakusa, and…”

Hinata slurps the noodles and looks up when he hears the hesitant pause in Kuroo’s voice, tilting his head to the side curiously.

“And?”

This time, Kuroo elbows Kenma and the smaller man sighs, a frown gracing his features as he watches Hinata closely, a considering look in his amber eyes. “Shouyou...there’s something you should know.”

Hinata flits his gaze from Kuroo to Kenma. “What is it?”

"Don't freak out, but uh," Kenma involuntarily winces as he continues, “...apparently, someone else kind of invited himself to join?”

A sense of unease curls in his stomach at that, and suddenly Hinata is almost too afraid to ask. "...Who?"

"...Oikawa."

At the sound of his ex's name, Hinata instantly freezes up, dropping the chopsticks in his hand into his bowl of ramen with a loud splash. He gapes at the other two for a long moment, trying to process the information. 

“... _What_?"

"I'll have you know that we didn't _actually_ invite the guy," Kuroo attempts to quickly assure the orange-haired male, who is still staring at them with wide eyes, "He must have found out from one of the other players and contacted _us._ And well, once Fumi-san and Akane-san heard he was willing to join, they didn't want to lose out on the opportunity to interview him. Apparently, he's pretty picky about media coverage."

"Probably because he wouldn't be satisfied unless he had the whole interview dedicated to feed his own ego," Kenma mutters under his breath, poking at the noodles in his bowl a little too aggressively.

But, Hinata is only half-listening as his mind races, trying to make sense of it all. “Why would To—I mean, _Oikawa_ go out of his way to travel all the way back to Japan for a silly interview?" He finally asks, forcing out a laugh that sounds weak even to him, "Especially one that he wasn't even invited to? It doesn’t make any sense.”   
  


Honestly, it doesn’t sound like him at all.

“We were surprised, too,” Kuroo admits, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he looks over to Kenma beside him. "But, we can tell him 'no', Shrimpy-chan. It's not too late for us to cancel him."

“And you don't have to do it, either, you know,” Kenma adds softly, “It's your choice, Shouyou."

Somehow, their support feels more like a punch in the gut than anything else, and Hinata has to stop himself from outright losing it in front of his friends. He takes a deep breath and tries to reason with himself.

Okay, so Oikawa is coming here to Japan. That's no big deal. It’s his home, too, and Hinata has no right to feel upset about that. And yeah, if he does the interview, that will mean that they would be forced to see each other for the first time in over six months since their break-up...which is not the most ideal scenario, Hinata will admit. But, he can handle that.

He's _been_ handling that.

And...okay, it might _hurt_...seeing him again, but Hinata is first and foremost a _professional_ , and he's not about to let his ex or his silly feelings ruin his opportunity to interview with the rest of his old team. If anything, this will be good for the two of them. They'll be able to finally make peace with where they stand with one another. And maybe... _maybe_ , they could even be friends again.

Steeling himself with newfound resolve, the orange-haired man nods to himself and looks over at Kenma and Kuroo, who appear to be gauging his reaction carefully from the other side of the table.

“Look," Hinata starts, voice firm, "We broke up months ago. We’re totally over it now. I—” He emphasizes loudly, gesturing back to himself with his thumb, “Am totally over it.”

“Really?” Kenma asks incredulously, clearly not buying it. “You guys were together for almost two years...and six months isn't _that_ long of a time—”

Hinata clears his throat, interrupting him before he can go further. “Really, Kenma. It's fine. I'll do the interview.”

Kuroo gives him an assessing look, his eyes narrowed, but after a long moment, he eventually nods his head in assent. “If you're sure, then I can go ahead and confirm it with everyone else. It's supposed to take place in a few weeks, so the sooner we get everything finalized, the better.”

A few weeks, huh? That’s fine. _Totally fine._ Hinata could do this. At the end of the day, it's just _one_ interview. What's the worst that could happen?

“It'll be fine!” Hinata assures them with a smile that stretches a little too wide on his face. “ _Promise_.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) This actually started off as a super long, angsty one-shot, but then 'evermore' came out, and I was like...nah, let's re-write this. Now it's like a four chapter fic that's somewhere in between angst and fluff--basically, the holiday romcom fic I wanted to read, so I wrote it lol.
> 
> (2) The story is mostly canon compliant, but I messed around with the HQ timeline to suit my needs. So this chapter takes place around 2023, a couple of years after the Olympics, and Hinata has been with Asas São Paulo for the past 2 years.
> 
> (3) Story inspired by 'tis the damn season by taylor swift (because, of course) and supercut by lorde (my fave non-tswift break-up song).
> 
> [@earlgrey_mt](https://twitter.com/earlgrey_mt/status/1338699017501483015?s=20)


	2. Chapter 2

For Hinata, falling in love with Oikawa had been surprisingly easy.

It was in the sheer bliss of his small smirks, flashes of pride and satisfaction, able to transform Oikawa’s handsome face in a way that kept Hinata staring, with his cheeks warm and his heart beating just a little bit faster, long after the other man had already turned away.

It was in every single one of his small habits: how he tilted his head back when he laughed, his habit of spinning a volleyball in his hands before he served, the way he unconsciously brushed his bangs back as he spoke, the calluses on his fingertips earned from the long days spent practicing on the court.

It was the sight of the brunette sitting on the carpeted floor of Hinata’s small, one bedroom apartment on a quiet evening, book in hand, secluded from the outside world. 

Hinata had surrendered himself to it all before he even knew what was happening. He kept telling himself to keep it friendly, to keep it easy—keep Oikawa at arm’s length, don’t be so obvious, _stop looking at him, you dummy_ —but, with every passing moment he spent in the other man’s presence, Hinata found himself falling headlong and desperate into the kind of love that burns bridges...that changes things.

If Hinata is honest with himself, he never really stood a chance.

Because he had _known_. Ever since that day he first saw Oikawa Tooru on the sandy beach in Brazil, sunlight gleaming off of perfect skin and familiar chestnut eyes widening in surprise when they landed on him.

_Careful, careful, careful_ , Hinata had warned himself. 

A guy like that was born to break hearts.

-

“Hey, did you hear?” 

Bokuto stage whispers behind a cupped hand, nudging Atsumu in the side just as the blonde is mid-bite into his onigiri, causing the blonde to squeeze the rice ball in his hands just a bit too tightly.

Frowning at his all but ruined onigiri, Atsumu sharply elbows the silver-haired man right back, smirking when Bokuto yelps and almost topples out of his stool as a result. “What do ya want?”

Bokuto pouts at him once he’s settled back in his seat, and he swivels his head around the restaurant as if to check if the coast is clear before leaning in again. 

“Shouyou and Oikawa broke up.”

Atsumu immediately lets the misshapen onigiri fall back onto his plate with a light _plop_ before turning to give Bokuto his full attention. 

_“What?_ ”

His teammate nods his head rapidly as he continues, “Shouyou told me over the phone. Apparently Oikawa broke up with him a few months ago.”

Atsumu almost scoffs in disbelief at the words, expecting Bokuto to quickly correct himself, and when the other man doesn’t, he narrows his eyes incredulously.

_Oikawa_ broke up with _Shouyou-kun_?

“That Argentinian _bastard_ ,” Atsumu mutters, further smashing his rice ball into the plate in front of him and imagining the stupid brunette’s face as he does so. On the other side of the counter, Osamu walks back from behind the kitchen curtain and gives him an unimpressed stare.

“Hey, now! That’s a waste of good rice, ya know?”

“Shhh!” Atsumu waves his hand dismissively at his twin, and then gestures for Bokuto to continue. “How is Shouyou-kun? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know. He said he was okay, but…” Bokuto sighs, shrugging his shoulders. “He sounded _sad,_ you know?”

Atsumu frowns, eyebrows furrowing together as he tries to imagine _Shouyou-kun_ —who is always bright smiles and sunshine—ever being _sad_. Sure, he’d seen him frustrated before, maybe even disappointed after missing a crucial point or losing an important match. 

But _sad?_

Just the thought of it made Atsumu’s chest clench uncomfortably. 

“Did he say what happened?”

“Nah. Just that it didn’t work out between them or something.”

Leaning on the counter, Osamu hums under his breath thoughtfully, not even attempting to hide the fact that he's eavesdropping on their conversation. “Didn’t Shouyou-kun ultimately decide to go back to Brazil to be closer to the guy?” 

And therein lies the real kicker. Because after being with the Jackals for only a few years and playing on the Japan National Team, Hinata informed them that he wanted to go back to Brazil and play in the international league. 

_“I think it would be really good for me professionally, Atsumu-san!”_ Hinata had said earnestly, _“I want to travel the world and play the strongest players.”_

_“...Plus long distance relationships are no fun, you know?”_

_“And this way…I can be closer to Tooru-kun.”_

Atsumu is suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to hit something—or more preferably, _someone_ , while Bokuto nods his head mournfully in response.

“That Argentinian bastard,” Osamu repeats in a low voice, and Atsumu can only grunt his staunch approval.

“If I ever see that guy again…” Atsumu trails off angrily, punching his fist against his open palm. 

“None of that!” Bokuto waves his finger at him disapprovingly. “We have to think about Shouyou! We need to do something to help cheer him up when he comes to visit us over the holidays!”

Atsumu blinks at him, lowering his fist. “Shouyou-kun is visiting?”

“Oh, yeah! That’s actually why he called.” Bokuto scratches beneath his chin in thought. “He needs somewhere to stay for a few weeks, and I told him that his bedroom is still free for him to crash in.”

Atsumu feels Osamu’s eyes on him as he considers this newfound information carefully.

As much as his twin might argue otherwise, Atsumu isn’t an idiot.

He knows that chances like this are hard to come by. He knows that the window of opportunity presenting itself in the form of a newly single Hinata coming home for the holidays and staying at their apartment is a rare chance that he has to suck it up and take.

Because the thing is—Atsumu knows, without a single inkling of doubt, that given the chance, he and Hinata would be great together.

He can feel it in his bones.

Their timing was just... _off_.

Before Hinata started dating Oikawa, there had been so many moments when Atsumu _thought._..maybe just maybe, if he had just put aside his damn pride and got his head out of his ass in time, then _maybe_ they would have gotten somewhere…

_Maybe_ Hinata would never have ended up with a jerk like _Oikawa Tooru._

But there’s no point in thinking useless thoughts like _maybe’s_ and _what if’s_ —not when Atsumu finally has the chance he’s been waiting for to make his feelings known staring at him right in the face.

The chance to prove to Hinata that he’s the right guy for him.

All Atsumu needs is a chance.

And he isn't above playing dirty.

So, a month before Hinata arrives home to Japan, Atsumu hatches a plan.

Sakusa and Bokuto are both lounging comfortably on the couch watching a home improvement show on the television when Atsumu marches into the living room with an air of determination.

“I need one of ya to take over Shouyou-kun’s old room.”

It takes a moment for the two to realize they are being addressed, and when they turn to look at him in confusion, Atsumu is already impatiently frowning at them.

“What?” 

“You guys heard me!” Atsumu insists, pointing to the empty room behind him. “Do something with that.”

“What exactly do you expect us to do?” Sakusa asks slowly.

“And where will Shouyou sleep?” Bokuto questions with a tilt of his head.

“With _me_ ,” Atsumu loudly proclaims, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world, while the other two continue to stare at him in disbelief.

Bokuto leans in to whisper urgently in Sakusa’s ear, “I thought we talked about this with him already.”

“About his ill-advised crush on Hinata-kun?” Sakusa mutters back in a low tone, “Or the thing about _boundaries?”_

“ _Both_?”

“I can _hear_ you guys, you know!” Atsumu snaps at them from the front of the room.

“So you’re _not_ hard of hearing,” Sakusa clarifies dryly, giving the other male a pointed look. “Because, we’re going to need you to backtrack a little bit.”

Atsumu sighs dramatically and raises a finger up at them. “Let’s go over the facts, shall we? _Fact_ —Shouyou-kun will be staying with us for the next few weeks while he’s in Japan.”

“Yes,” Sakusa confirms, “Which begs the question— _why_ are we trying to take over his room?”

As though he can’t hear him, Atsumu barrels on, now holding up a second finger. “ _Fact_ —Shouyou-kun has now been single for the past six months.”

“Ohhh,” Bokuto begins to nod his head like he’s in on it, “Now, I see where this is going.”

“ _Fact—_ Shouyou-kun will be in need of emotional support and companionship during this time,” Atsumu continues in his pragmatic tone, pacing the length of the room as he holds up a third finger, “...which is where _I_ come in.”

“Where you come in to…?” Bokuto trails off, still clearly confused and gesturing vaguely with his hands.

“To sweep him off his feet, of course,” Atsumu finishes with a self-satisfied smirk, whirling around to face them with his hands placed on his hips.

Sakusa sighs in obvious vexation and massages his temples. “So, what you’re saying is...on top of being a normal idiot, you’re also a manipulative one?”

“I’m not manipulating anything!” Atsumu states indignantly, stomping a foot to make a point. “I am taking advantage of a moment of opportunity.”

“How is that _not_ being manipulative?”

Bokuto scrunches his face together in thought. “I still don’t understand what that has to do with Shouyou sharing a room with you. Why can’t he just stay with me?”

Atsumu gives him a flat look. “Because _you_ are not going to give him the option, Bokkun.”

“Oh. But a sleepover with Shouyou sounds kind of fun.”

Atsumu groans out loud, raising up his hands to pull at his hair in frustration. “Do I really have to spell it out for you guys? Shouyou-kun is _single. SINGLE._ For the first time in years, I can _finally_ make a move!”

Sakusa arches a brow at him. “...What about the years when he was living with us and on the same team? They weren’t dating then.”

“...Shut up. I didn’t like him then.”

Bokuto and Sakusa trade glances. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

“So, let me get this straight...while one of your good friends is emotionally _vulnerable_ after a break-up, you want to force him to share a room with you so that you can finally make a move on him…?” Sakusa rephrases, giving the blonde a disgusted once-over. "That's pretty low, even for you, Miya."

Atsumu coughs into his fist and averts his eyes. “Are you guys going to help me with this or not?”

“Hmm, if Shouyou is okay with staying with you, then I don’t mind helping you, Tsum-Tsum,” Bokuto declares with a grin, giving him a thumbs up. 

“Let it be known, that I do not want to force Hinata-kun into a situation that he may be uncomfortable with,” Sakusa explains, ever the voice of reason.

"Right," Atsumu huffs, rolling his eyes.

“But, well..." Sakusa clears his throat. "There actually _is_ something I’ve always wanted to do during the off-season that requires a use of extra space…”

At his admission, Astumu’s eyes take on an interested gleam. “Omi-kun, for once, I am _all_ ears.”

-

_“Oh, don’t worry about it—I can take the couch,”_ Hinata’s voice proclaims over the speaker, and suddenly Atsumu is tempted to take his phone and throw it against the wall.

Bokuto chokes on a laugh at his expression, and Sakusa doesn’t even pretend to look sympathetic for his plight.

“The _couch_? Are ya _sure_ , Shouyou-kun?” Atsumu says through gritted teeth, forcing his voice to stay light and friendly. 

_Why did no one think of the couch?_ The blonde mouths to the other two, who only shrug back at him in turn. 

_“Yeah! I really don’t want to be a bother to you guys.”_ Hinata’s voice is earnest and insistent, and Atsumu has to stop himself from smacking himself in the face. _“But thanks for offering your room, Atsumu-san. I really appreciate the thought!”_

“ _Greaaaat._ See ya then!” The second Atsumu clicks off the phone, he immediately lets out the string of curses he’s been holding back.

“Well, we did warn you that your plan was stupid to begin with,” Sakusa says, probably in an attempt to be consoling. Or condescending. Atsumu is honestly never really sure with him, and when he looks over to say something snappy in turn, he sees the dark-haired man leaning against the counter, holding one of his newly fostered Pomeranians in his arms and petting it indulgently.

Atsumu glares at the furball as though it is the source of his problems, and as if sensing his stare, the small dog barks disagreeably at him.

Well, at least _one_ of them got what they wanted.

“Did you want us to get rid of the couch, too?” Bokuto asks, blinking up at him, and Atsumu gives him a flat stare before whirling around and leaving the room.

Weeks later, when Hinata finally shows up on their doorstep, cheeks flushed pink from the cold and familiar grin playing on his lips, Atsumu reflects that perhaps all of his efforts weren’t in vain after all.

Because at least Shouyou-kun is _here_. In the flesh. After months and months of not seeing him. And looking as handsome as ever.

“Thank you guys so much for having me,” the orange-haired man chirps happily, completely unaware of Atsumu's meandering thoughts as he rubs his hands together for warmth. Despite the chilly weather, Hinata seems a bit underdressed, lacking any sort of winter attire, which Atsumu immediately notes, already mentally filing that information for later when Bokuto pushes past him to greet their former teammate.

“Shouyou! We missed you!” The silver-haired man throws one arm over Hinata’s shoulder and uses the other to grab his duffel bag, pulling the shorter man into the warm apartment and shutting the door behind him.

“I missed you guys, too!” Hinata laughs, and just the familiar sound of it has Atsumu frozen in place by the doorways still watching him, and it isn’t long before hazel eyes turn to look over at him curiously.

“It’s been a while, Atsumu-san!”

The words snap him back to reality, and Atsumu splutters for a moment before straightening himself up in greeting.

“A-Ah. Welcome home, Shouyou-kun.”

Hinata beams up at him, and Atsumu has to ignore the way his heart seems to stutter as a result. He tries to focus on the sound of Bokuto’s mindless chatter instead, and grabs Hinata's carry-on to follow after them.

“How was your flight, Shouyou?”

“Long!”

“Did you eat already?”

“Yeah! Kenma and Kuroo-san picked me up from the airport and treated me to ramen.”

“Ah, _those_ guys?” Bokuto rolls his eyes jokingly at Hinata, causing the shorter man to snicker in response.

“That reminds me…” Hinata swivels his head to look around the room, a curious glint in his eyes. “Kuroo-san implied that you’ve done something horrific to my room.”

As if on cue, his old bedroom door opens, and there’s a loud rustling of pawprints clicking against the wood floors of the apartment, before Sakusa appears in the doorway, holding a fluffy, orange Pomeranian tucked securely at his side, while two other furry rascals dart past his legs to greet the newcomer eagerly.

“Oh my god. _What?”_ Hinata gasps in excitement, falling backwards onto the floor as he gets jumped on and licked across the face by an equally ecstatic, brown labradoodle. He raises one hand to pet the larger dog, while the other ruffles the fur of a second, lighter Pomeranian currently clawing at his jacket.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Hinata-kun,” Sakusa says, somehow managing to look so serious and stoic despite the adorable, pup panting in his arms. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you, too, Omi-san!” Hinata returns with a delighted grin. “But, I don’t know what I should be more upset about—the fact that you guys have replaced me with _three_ adorable dogs, or the fact that you guys didn’t even tell me you were getting a dog to begin with?”

When Hinata turns to direct his pout at them, the two pups next to him follow his gaze, and well, _that’s super unfair_ , because that’s honestly the cutest fucking thing that Atsumu has ever seen in his _life_.

“Uhhh,” he manages to say dumbly, before he’s luckily saved by Bokuto.

“We wanted to surprise you, Shouyou!” 

“I can’t believe you guys!” Hinata exclaims, lifting himself up off of the floor with some difficulty, given that the two dogs don’t seem willing to let him go just yet. After steadying himself on both feet, he darts across the hallway to peek into his old room, with the pups nipping at his heels.

Instead of the queen-sized bed and nightstand that he is expecting to see, Hinata finds careful padding protecting the wood floor, an array of crates and bowls of water and dog food placed beside each one. There are soft-looking dog beds and blankets and toys scattered about.

“Oh my god,” Hinata repeats, turning around to look at them with wide eyes. “You turned my room into a doggie daycare?”

“Technically, I’m fostering them,” Sakusa corrects in a matter-of-tone.

“Omi-Omi said that it would be a good idea since he has so much practice with babysitting to begin with,” Bokuto says with a grin, and his comment has Hinata bending over himself in laughter.

“He even named them after us,” Atsumu chimes in with an eye roll.

Hinata lights up even more if possible and looks up at Sakusa expectantly. After a moment, the other man sighs in a put-upon manner before pointing to each dog. “Bokkun. Tsum-Tsum.” And holding up the fluffy orange one in his hands, he says, “And this is Shou.”

Hinata all but squeals in delight as Bokkun, the chocolate-colored labradoodle, jumps up on his legs to greet him again.

“I’m dying. This is so cute,” Hinata exclaims, bending down to pat the two dogs again. “Okay, I’m not mad anymore. You guys can have my room.”

Atsumu takes that as his cue.

“Speaking of which, are ya _sure_ you don’t want to crash with me in the meantime, Shouyou-kun? My room _is_ the biggest, after all!” He lets a smirk spread across his face. "I don't mind sharing my bed, either."

Atsumu tries to pointedly ignore Bokuto’s poor attempt to keep a straight face from beside him.

Hinata peers up at him through his orange bangs, still petting Bokkun and Tsum-Tsum as he grins. “I really don’t want to put you out or anything, Atsumu-san! I’m totally fine crashing on the couch for now.”

Well, despite the hard blow to his ego, it was worth another shot. “Okay, if yer sure. Offer still stands, though.”

Once they get Shouyou settled in, the four of them find themselves gathered around the kitchen table, catching up over a few drinks. Atsumu makes sure to pipe in with a few snarky comments here and there, but for the most part, he’s pretty content with just watching Hinata. 

There’s a sense of ease now when Atsumu's gaze drifts over to him, taking in the strands of hair curling along his forehead— _when was the last time Shouyou-kun cut it?_ —and the way his eyes still crinkled at the corners when he laughed. When Hinata feels his gaze on him, his hazel eyes meet his own curiously from across the table, and for once, Atsumu doesn’t make himself look away.

Instead, Atsumu smirks in that cocksure way of his and lifts his beer to his lips, keeping his eyes steady on the other man as he takes a sip. Because things are different now...Atsumu isn't going to let this opportunity pass him by like he did in the past. He's not going to be some scrub loser who lets the guy he's been holding a torch for slip through his fingers again.

Because _now_ , Atsumu isn’t guiltily casting sidelong glances at a taken man.

_...Now_ , Hinata is actually looking _back_.

And if the way the orange-haired man’s cheeks redden at Atsumu’s unwavering gaze is any sort of indication that something has _changed_ , then he’s going to take it as the hard-earned victory it was.

“So, Shouyou, did Kuroo mention the interview he wants to do with everyone in a few weeks?” Bokuto asks, snagging a few chips from the bag in front of him to snack on before Sakusa can smack his hand away.

When Hinata doesn't respond after a few moments, Atsumu looks over to see that the other man has frozen in place, hazel eyes wide and distraught. “Shouyou-kun?”

He watches in concern as Hinata blinks once, twice, before a small, shaky smile spreads across his lips. “Uh, yeah. He did, actually.”

When he doesn’t say anything further on the matter, Atsumu trades quizzical glances across the table at Bokuto and Sakusa, who both stare back at him with confused looks on their faces. 

“Hinata-kun…” Sakusa begins cautiously, as though testing out the waters, “...is everything okay?”

The question seems to make Hinata noticeably wince, and he nods his head, not quite meeting their worried gazes. “Yeah, it’s just…” he sighs, looking down at the half-empty bottle he’s cradling in his hands for a long moment. “...Apparently, Oikawa-san is going to be at the interview, too?” 

_...What the fuck?_

Atsumu all but throws himself out of his seat in his rush to stand up. “He’s _what?”_

The clatter of his chair screeching against the floor is loud enough to startle the dogs laying on the couch not far from them, and the three of them raise their heads curiously in their direction. 

Hinata blinks up at him in surprise. “I, uh...that’s what Kuroo-san said, anyway. I guess Oikawa-san heard about the interview and asked to join for some reason.”

“But he wasn’t even _on_ Team Japan,” Atsumu grumbles out, eye twitching in annoyance. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Inviting himself to an interview he wasn’t even invited to? _What the fuck?_

“Seriously, though,” Bokuto adds, voice uncharacteristically serious as he frowns in Hinata's direction, “That’s not okay. Are they really just going to let him join?”

“We can boycott the interview,” Sakusa asserts immediately after in a show of support, “I never even wanted to go in the first place.”

Hinata lets out a weak laugh and waves his hands at them. “No, no. We don’t have to go that far. Kuroo-san asked me if I was okay with it, and I said yes.”

Atsumu narrows his eyes at him. “And _are_ you okay with it? Because I, for one, am _not."_

Chewing at his bottom lip, Hinata shrugs his shoulders lightly. “Really, it’s fine. I just haven’t had the time to really process it yet, you know? It will be my first time seeing him since...we broke up," at that, he rubs the back of his head a bit awkwardly with a laugh, "Honestly, I think this could be good for us. We've both had some time to process it now, and it might be a good opportunity to sort of make amends, you know?”

Atsumu eyes Hinata's hopeful expression with disdain and falls back into his seat, folding his fingers together in front of his face in an attempt to keep his cool. “You do _not_ need to make amends with that guy, Shouyou-kun. Instead, we should be plotting how to murder him and where to hide the body.”

“I’ve got plenty of ideas,” Sakusa proposes darkly, “They’ll never find him.”

"I'm told that I can be very creative," Bokuto says with a solemn nod of his head.

Laughing, Hinata stares at the three of them in fond disbelief, before shaking his head. “Don't get me wrong. I love the show of teamwork and effort here, but...please don’t murder my ex-boyfriend.”

"Are you _sure?_ "

Bokuto squints his eyes at him in a considering manner, and Atsumu catches Sakusa actually _pouting_ in disappointment at Hinata’s words. The blonde concedes and raises his hands up in surrender. “Fine, fine. We’ll play nice for _your_ sake. I just hope that asshole knows what he’s getting into.”

Hinata knits his brows together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Atsumu raises a brow at him and huffs a laugh. “I mean, you've got to admit—Oikawa's got a lot of nerve crashing an interview with his ex and all of his ex’s best friends. He’s either very brave or very stupid.”

“Stupid,” Sakusa confirms with a wave of his hand, “Clearly stupid.”

“He's gotta be if he let a guy like you go, Shouyou,” Bokuto declares, and Atsumu can only nod his head in agreement, because that's a clear understatement if he's ever heard one.

Suddenly, there's a loud sniffling noise, and they all turn to see Hinata wiping at his eyes not-so discretely with his sleeve. “S-sorry, I just..." Hinata sniffs one more time, before taking a deep breath and flashing them a bright grin. "I really missed you guys."

Atsumu stares at him blankly for a long moment, caught off-guard, before he has to clear his throat and change the subject. “ _Anyway_. That's enough talk about yer ex.”

“Tsum-Tsum is right!” Bokuto exclaims, leaning over to ruffle Hinata's hair affectionately. “This is the time to celebrate _you_ and all of your _singleness,_ Shouyou.”

“My singleness?” Hinata echoes, pointing at himself in apparent bewilderment.

“Yes!”

The orange-haired man blinks at them, “Shouldn’t you three be celebrating with me, then?”

“...Wow, that’s a low-blow, Shouyou-kun.”

“Some of us choose to be single _on purpose_.”

“I don’t. Akaashi-kun just won’t call me back.”

“Maybe if you actually _told_ him how you felt—”

“ _Really_ , Tsum-Tsum? Do you _really_ want to go there?”

“—O-Oi! Don’t you _dare_.”

“...Am I missing something?”

“Please ignore them, Hinata-kun. Want to join me in taking the dogs out on a walk before bed?”

“Sure, Omi-san!”

As the two put on their jackets and place the three dogs on leashes, Atsumu shoots a dirty glare at Bokuto who sticks his tongue out back at him in turn. Really, he gets no support in this household, and it’s just _sad_.

-

Hinata finds out pretty quickly that celebrating his singleness really just means being forced to drink and let loose when he normally would choose not to.

“I invited you guys out to go holiday shopping with me, not to get shit-faced at a sushi bar in the middle of the day,” Hinata whines, burying his flushed face into his arms as he rests them on the counter.

“But you never said we _couldn’t_ get shit-faced at a sushi bar in the middle of the day,” Atsumu clarifies with a teasing nudge into the orange-haired man’s side. "Right?"

“I think that this was a _great_ plan,” Bokuto slurs into his sake.

Sakusa, the unspoken designated driver out of the four, merely sighs and continues to eat his sashimi in peace.

“I don’t even know if I got all of the presents on my list,” Hinata moans, lifting his head up momentarily to squint his eyes at Atsumu. “This day was supposed to be productive. I’m going back to Miyagi this weekend and needed to get all of my shopping done today.”

“Well, ya got yer mom that coat that she wanted, and Natsu-chan an Adlers Jersey—which, by the way, I still think is huge a betrayal on both yer parts, so I got her a Jackals jersey with my number in case she changes her mind,” Atsumu says, not meeting his eyes as he picks at his leftover sushi absentmindedly with his chopsticks. “Plus, ya mentioned that ya already got gifts for yer old teammates from Brazil, right? So, I think yer good.”

Hinata blinks up at him in surprise, and even Bokuto and Sakusa turn to look over at him curiously. “Oh. You remembered all of that?”

Atsumu shrugs and quirks a half-smile at him. “It wasn’t hard or anything.”

"Huh." Hinata wants to blame it on the alcohol in his system, but for some reason, it takes him just a moment too long to look away, and he finds himself staring at his former teammate with something akin to _interest_. 

And it’s not like he’s never noticed how attractive Atsumu is. After all, it’s glaringly and annoyingly obvious. If Hinata is being honest, he may have, sort of, kind of had a crush on the setter back in high school. But well, that was a long time ago. And who _didn't_ have a crush on the Miya twins at some point or another?

But, lately…

Lately, Hinata can feel a shift between them. The kind of paradigm shift that has his eyes lingering on the sharp curve of his former teammate's jawline and contemplating whether or not he missed out on something—wondering if the spark he's feeling is just the lingering embers of his old high school crush or something else...something _more._

Hinata knows he’s not just imagining it, either. Because, he can feel the way Atsumu watches him when he thinks he’s not looking. And it's hard to ignore how attentive the other man has been ever since he’s been back. Or maybe...Atsumu had always paid this much attention to him, and somehow Hinata just never noticed? 

Before he can think about it too deeply, his cell phone suddenly rings, the bright chirping sound snapping him out of his thoughts, and Hinata picks it up without even checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

_“...Shouyou?”_

The sound of his name sobers him up in seconds, and as though he's been burned, Hinata quickly pulls the phone away from his ear in a sharp, jerky movement. Because he _knows_ that voice. It's a voice that he hasn't heard in months. With his heartbeat racing in his chest, he glances down at the screen and sees the name _Oikawa Tooru_ flashing at the top.

_Why is he calling? Why did he answer?_

Suddenly, Hinata feels too hot and too crowded, and he pulls at the collar of his jacket uncomfortably. He can’t breathe, he can’t—

“Shouyou-kun? Are you okay? Who called you?”

And then one of Atsumu’s arms is curling around his shoulders in a comforting hold, and Hinata lets out a shaky breath. The blonde gently pulls the phone from his hands and glances down at it, his expression growing cold and sharp when he sees the name on the screen. Without a second’s hesitation, Atsumu presses the button to end the call and places the phone back in Hinata’s jacket pocket.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Hinata can only nod his head, missing the questioning glances the other men seem to trade over his head. The only thing he can think of is how in the world is he supposed to get through a stupid interview with his ex-boyfriend present, when he can't even answer a single _phone call_?

How pathetic is that?

-

Oikawa stares down at his phone with narrowed eyes, still hearing Hinata's voice when he answered the phone echoing in the empty space of his bedroom.

_“Hello?_ ”

Somehow, it's like a direct blow to his chest. Not just the familiar sound of it, but rather the distinct lack of _warmth_ that usually accompanied Hinata's voice when he picked up the phone—almost like...Oikawa could have been anybody else on the other line, just some stranger, and not someone Hinata used to care about, used to _love_ —and the realization hits him harder than it should.

Had Hinata moved on so quickly? Was he already over him? Was it too late?

_“Shouyou-kun? Are you okay? Who called you?”_

And _that_ voice. Oikawa feels himself clenching the phone in his hands tightly. Who was _that?_ The fact that he doesn’t _know_ lends an uncomfortable weight in his chest that makes the walls in Oikawa’s bedroom crawl closer, lowers the ceilings and makes him feel as though he’s suffocating, and he has to remind himself to _breathe_ in order to get his thoughts settled.

Before he can stop himself, Oikawa dials Hinata's number again; only this time, he's not surprised when he immediately reaches Hinata's voicemail.

When he hears the resounding _beep_ on the other line, he knows he should probably say something. Wasn't that the whole point of him calling in the first place? To talk to him? To explain?

But for some reason, the things he had prepared to say die in his throat and the only thing that comes out is...

“...I miss you.”

And the words are out before Oikawa can stop them. But it’s not so much the words themselves, as the ragged, desperate way he says them. So full of things that have been unspoken for months. _I miss you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please._

The silence on the other end only emphasizes the weight of his own admission, and Oikawa hangs up the phone before he lets himself get any further and throws the device across the room, hearing the satisfying thump of the phone when it lands on the carpeted floor.

Groaning loudly, Oikawa turns over in his bed and buries his head beneath his pillow, releasing a pent-up scream into the soft cotton. He's so damn _stupid_. Why did he even call in the first place? What was he thinking?

Why did he keep fucking everything up?

Because the thing is—Oikawa chose wrong. He _knows_ he did. For months on end, he kept making the wrong choices, and Oikawa is tired of beating himself up over it and not _doing_ something about it. Even if he _is_ too late. Even if he _doesn't_ deserve a second chance.

Oikawa wonders if he’s finally been punished enough. 

...But, what is the price of a broken heart?

Oikawa glares up at his ceiling fan and tries to force himself to sleep. 

After all, he has a long flight ahead of him in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I warned y'all that this would be a romcom, so expect allll the highs and lows. I'm really trying to find the right balance between fluff and angst here.
> 
> (2) Also, sorry for posting this so late! I meant to get the second chapter out a few days ago, but I've been bedridden the past few days because of a stomach bug, and only now just crawled out of bed. Part three should be out shortly!
> 
> [@earlgrey_mt](https://twitter.com/earlgrey_mt/status/1341231336879779840?s=20)


	3. Chapter 3

When word gets to Iwaizumi about the break-up, he doesn’t hesitate to call Oikawa.

It’s not that he and Hinata aren’t friends—they _are_. In fact, Iwaizumi would argue that Hinata makes it near impossible to _not_ be friends with him. And it’s for that exact reason why he contacts Oikawa first. 

While Hinata might have a layered, tiered support system of friends and family ready to lay down the law in his defense over this break-up, Iwaizumi is aware that Oikawa will not be so lucky; especially if his instincts are correct—as they usually are—and his idiotic childhood friend is most likely the _guilty_ party for said break-up.

Iwaizumi reflects from past experiences that few people will be willing to sympathize with Oikawa on this one, and once people become pressured to pick sides, Hinata would no doubt be on the favorable end of it.

The least he can do is warn Oikawa about the impending misery that awaits him, or perhaps, get his side of the story.

So, Iwaizumi calls.

Luckily, Oikawa picks up after the first ring.

_“Hello?”_

Without a moment’s hesitation, the dark-haired man growls into the phone, “What the hell did you do, Shittykawa?”

He doesn't elaborate, and judging by the heavy silence on the other end, Oikawa seems to catch on quickly as to what he’s referring to. Iwaizumi is prepared for the other man to make an off-hand, flippant comment to try and brush him off, like he normally would, and he already has a baiting retort ready to snap back if need be. 

But instead, all he hears is a deep sigh on the other end of the line before Oikawa finally responds.

_“...I think I messed up, Iwa-chan.”_

It's almost jarring to hear the raw vulnerability in the other man’s voice, and Iwaizumi finds himself pulling the phone away from his ear and blinking down at the caller ID to make sure that it is _Oikawa_ that he called. He can't remember the last time he had ever heard his friend sound so open and honest, and...it feels _wrong_ somehow.

Sure, the words themselves aren’t so surprising. Oikawa messes up all the damn time. After all, Iwaizumi would know. He’s been there to begrudgingly clean-up after all of his friend's messes since they were kids. Rather, Iwaizumi can feel the uneasy weight of the admission layered in Oikawa’s words, making a sense of unease drop like lead into the pit of his stomach.

This is different.

This is _serious._

Because, Oikawa and Hinata actually _broke up_.

Two years ago, if someone had told Iwaizumi that, he would have laughed out loud and said that he had called it. Then again, who _hadn't_ _?_ No one would have imagined that the two most unlikely individuals would somehow run into one another on the other side of the world, and well, _actually fall for each other_. The likelihood of it was slim to none.

And from an outsider’s perspective, nothing about their relationship seemed to make any sense.

Iwaizumi remembers ruminating on the perplexing nature of their relationship when the two announced to their friends and family that they had become exclusive after the Olympics. 

_How well did they even know each other?_

_How did it even happen?_

_Did they even have anything in common?_

It was easy to question their relationship, because from the outside looking in, it was like trying to solve a real-life puzzle, but not comprehending how any of the pieces connected or fit together.

Growing up with Oikawa, Iwaziumi was familiar with the all of the contradicting sides of his best friend's personality. Nothing about him was _simple_. One moment, Oikawa could be acting childish and teasing, and the next, he was as critical and as calculating in a way that unnerved even him. His former team captain was one of the hardest working and loyal individuals he's ever met, and yet, Oikawa was also selfish and prideful to a fault, even toeing the fine line to dishonesty if it meant earning someone's favor or when things weren’t quite going his way.

Truthfully—a _shitty personality_ , if Iwaizumi had anything to say about it. 

Which was _why_ he had to wonder how in the world someone like _Hinata_ got pulled into Oikawa's orbit.

From what he remembered of the little spitfire back in high school, Hinata was already a force to be reckoned with even then, despite his initial unassuming appearances. When they met up again years later as a part of the national team in their own rights, Iwaizumi was pleasantly surprised to find how much he actually enjoyed the shorter man's company—always quick to laugh and easy to talk to no matter the occasion. He noted that even former rivals found themselves basking in Hinata's earnest attentions. And he really couldn't blame them. Everything about Hinata was always so sincere and lively and _bright_.

Honestly, it made Iwaizumi’s head spin.

So, at the time, finding out that Hinata was dating Oikawa seemed to come out of left field.

“Wait a damn second. _You_ are dating _Hinata_?” Iwaizumi had asked incredulously once he heard, trying and failing to wrap his mind around the very idea of it.

Oikawa had looked more smug than he’d ever seen him—which was saying a lot. “That’s right,” the brunette responded in his annoying sing-song voice, and Iwaizumi felt his eye involuntarily twitch at the sound of it.

“ _How?”_

“Jealous, Iwa-chan?” A sidelong smirk was cast in his direction, and Iwaizumi easily deflected with a loud snort.

“God, no. I just wonder if Hinata needs to get his head checked.”

Oikawa made a face at him, blowing a raspberry in response. “Mean!”

“I don't know. I think you guys look pretty adorable,” Hanamaki stated genially, finger tapping lightly against his chin in thought. "It's weird, but honestly kind of cute. Don't you think, Mattsun?"

“Eh. Hinata is too good for you,” Matsukawa instantly replied, snickering when Iwaizumi nodded his head to agree with the statement.

"That's it," Oikawa exclaims, "Makki is going to be the _only_ one I invite to the wedding. The rest of you guys can suck it.”

The three of them had laughed at that, and the familiarity of their teasing was easy to fall back into, even when Oikawa grumbled petulantly at them for hours later. Still, despite being respectful enough to keep his mouth shut on the subject from then on, Iwaizumi continued to have his doubts and reservations about the newfound relationship, but he paid careful mind to keep them to himself.

It wasn’t until he actually saw them together that it started to make sense.

Two months later, with a hefty bank of vacations days ready to use up, Iwaizumi reluctantly decided to finally take up Oikawa and Hinata on their offers to visit them in Argentina. He hadn't been sure what to expect. Technically, Hinata still resided in Brazil, though he often visited his boyfriend whenever he and his team had a free weekend, and vice versa.

Hinata insisted that the two of them never saw each other often enough, but once Iwaizumi arrived at Oikawa's apartment, the dark-haired man had to beg to differ.

Because there were noticeable traces of Hinata _everywhere_.

As he sat awkwardly perched on the corner of Oikawa's plush couch, Iwaizumi surveyed the length of the room. His olive-toned eyes drifted from the mangas translated in Portuguese stacked on the living room shelf, to the jackets a few sizes too small to be Oikawa’s hanging on the coat rack, and then fell to the soft-looking, fleece blanket with the MSBY logo emblazoned in gold folded neatly beside him. Not to mention, when Iwaizumi was taken on a tour through the kitchen earlier, he had seen an assortment of healthy snacks and drinks that he happened to _know_ that Oikawa didn’t like generously stocked in the fridge and pantry.

Which clearly meant that Hinata was there a _lot._

His eyes strayed over to the kitchen, where the slim orange-haired man was currently chopping up vegetables for their dinner, body slightly swaying to the tune of a Spanish song playing on the speakers. Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa came up behind him, wrapping his arms around the shorter man's waist and bending down to slot his chin right in the nook of Hinata’s shoulder and neck. The feel of his sharp chin poking at the sensitive skin there must have been ticklish, because Hinata immediately squirmed in his arms and giggled, before turning his head to press a kiss to the other man's cheek. 

It was...unexpectedly _charming,_ Iwaizumi realized, blinking at the sight curiously.

"What did I tell you about distracting me while I'm cooking, Tooru-kun?"

“Mahhh, Shou-chan. You're the distracting one here.” Iwaizumi could hear the playful pout in the other man's voice even though he couldn't quite see it from where he was sitting. "What is this cute apron? Did I get this for you?"

“Nice got it for me, remember? And _hey_ , now, I’d be careful if I were you—I’m armed.” 

“Was that a threat?”

“That was a _warning_ , mister. Now, go entertain our guest. You're being rude.”

When Iwaizumi caught the way Oikawa's gaze seemed to soften as he stared down at the laughing ginger, the brunette's lips tugging upwards in an affectionate smile, he felt his own cheeks flush in warmth. Suddenly, it felt as though he was intruding on an intimate moment, and Iwaizumi quickly averted his eyes to look down at his hands.

Everything about them felt so easy. _Natural_.

It was like he was seeing a side of Oikawa that he had never been acquainted with before. All of his friend's annoying quirks that never failed to grate on Iwaizumi's nerves suddenly became almost—dare he say, _bearable?—_ in Hinata's company. As though the orange-haired man's presence acted like a counterbalance to Oikawa's ever shifting moods.

Iwaizumi found himself involuntarily wondering— _Did Oikawa's laugh ever sound that genuine before? Had he ever showered another human being with this much praise?_

_...Was this the first time he had ever seen Oikawa truly happy?_

And as he watched them tease and banter and smile at each other throughout the duration of his stay, Iwaizumi realized that it was futile to try and analyze and make sense of the two of them together. Somehow, it just _worked._

So, when Oikawa admits that he screwed up and broke up with Hinata, Iwaizumi—surprisingly enough—doesn’t give him shit for it.

Judging from the way Oikawa's voice cracks on the other end of the line, it sounds like his best friend is beating himself up enough on his own.

Instead, Iwaizumi asks the million-dollar question—

“What happened?”

  
  


-

The thing that Oikawa quickly learns about break-ups is that he can’t help but remember each moment in flashes.

Every good moment.

And every bad.

A never-ending movie reel, supercut together to only show the highlights. Only better. Because at least in a memory, Oikawa has the actual ability to pause, stop and replay each scene in his head. Cut and edit, and pretend what it would be like if he had said something different, maybe noticed something just a little bit sooner.

Maybe just tried to hold on a little bit longer.

In truth, the break-up happens like this—

They’re at dinner with a few of Oikawa’s teammates in Argentina. Hinata is chatting their ears off about an upcoming match, animatedly moving his arms in wild gestures about his person as he talks, and his cheeks are flushed red in his excitement. From his spot across the table, Oikawa can see the way his teammates regard his smaller boyfriend fondly with soft smiles on their faces, clearly amused by his antics.

It makes Oikawa’s heart want to burst at the sight. 

“So are you and Shouyou ever going to go public with your relationship?” Ignacio, their team's libero, suddenly asks, voice alight with curiosity. Caught off-guard, Oikawa finds himself floundering for a moment, not quite sure how to answer. Distantly, he notices that Hinata stops talking and looks over at them, along with a few other members of his team, to stare at him expectantly.

And okay, it's not as though he hasn't thought about it.

If Oikawa is keeping track, it's been over five years since their initial tryst in Brazil—ending with one particularly late night made memorable by stolen kisses pressed against the sand, and heated, breathless laughter that follow him for months after the fact, making him second-guess his decision to keep things casual long after he returns to Argentina.

Four years since Oikawa showed up at Hinata's doorstep in the middle of his off-season, armed with a disarming smirk and a bottle of wine, and made that _"one-time-thing"_ into a _"two-time-thing",_ no a _"three-time-thing"—_ and, well, at that point, who was really keeping count anymore?

Three years since Hinata put a name to the fluttering feeling in his chest, hazel eyes bright and determined and always so _open_ , and Oikawa realized he was going, going, _gone_ by the time his brain caught up to his heart, and he managed to return the words he longed to say out loud. 

And two years since they stopped trying to dance around the issue—long distance be damned—and _finally_ made it official.

So, when Ignacio asks him if he wants to go public about his relationship with Hinata, Oikawa's initial response is to say _yes._ Of course he does. He'd get down on one knee in the middle of the crowded restaurant they were in right now and ask his adorable, bright-eyed boyfriend to marry him if the circumstances were different.

But the reality of the matter is that it's not as simple as that.

As a professional athlete forced into the public eye more often than he would like, Oikawa _knows_ what going public entails for a couple like himself and Hinata.

He's seen his fellow athletes ripped apart by the media for the same reasons—the taunting, cruel headlines splashed in bold across the magazines and gossip websites, the threats on their lives and on their loved ones—just for being brave enough to say that they will love who they loved, regardless of society's standards.

If he's being honest, Oikawa doesn't think he has it in himself to be that brave.

In a country where _machismo_ is regularly paraded around and praised, Oikawa acknowledges the role he's meant to play, and he is more than well-aware that his place as a foreigner in this country makes it so that he is treading on unsteady ground as it is.

So when a few tabloid articles begin to speculate on his own love life and stir up rumors, matching him up with pretty models and socialites left and right, Oikawa doesn't shut them down. Instead, he plays into it and stokes the fires, acting coy and secretive in the way he _knows_ they'll feed off of, because that's just how the game is played.

And Hinata never questions him about it. Not once. Even when Oikawa sees him eyeing the latest trending tweets with his picture sidelined with someone else's, Hinata just scrolls past without a word.

_(In retrospect, Oikawa wonders if maybe he should have said something then. Maybe that’s where it really all started.)_

When they decide to announce their relationship to only their few trusted friends and close family, Oikawa continues to be as cautious as ever, keeping their public outings together to a minimum, and only choosing small, nondescript places when they were alone. If one of them wanted to try a newer restaurant or one that was more well-known or popular, Oikawa makes a point to invite others to join them, and they're rarely—if ever—seen or photographed by themselves.

If Hinata has any complaints over their arrangement, he doesn't say anything. But the second they're back in their respective apartments, away from the public eye, the smaller man doesn't hesitate to be as affectionate and needy as possible—something that Oikawa has no problem reciprocating with just as much, if not more, enthusiasm to match.

It’s not ideal, per se, but it _works._

So, yes, to sum up, Oikawa has certainly _thought_ about making his relationship with Hinata public. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he is _ready_ to make it happen. And he says as much, as delicately and with as much deflection as possible.

“I really don’t see the point in announcing it,” Oikawa admits, albeit reluctantly, still feeling the weight of Hinata’s gaze on him and purposefully looking down at his half-eaten food to avoid it. “Personally, I’d much rather avoid the media’s attention on our private lives if I can help it.”

Which isn't technically a lie, so Oikawa doesn't know why he feels a pang of guilt when he says it.

“Are you kidding?” Ignacio pipes up, seeming to not get the _hint_ to let it go. “Tooru, you _thrive_ off of the media attention. I’m surprised you haven’t gone out there and flaunted Shouyou the second you had the chance.”

The grip on his fork tightens, and Oikawa can feel a crack in his friendly exterior. It's suddenly a strain to keep the polite smile stretched across his face, and if not for his friend's clear harmless intentions, Oikawa might have already retaliated with something snappy to say in turn. Fortunately, Ignacio turns his attentions to Hinata next.

“What about you, Shouyou? What do you think?”

...Or should he say _unfortunately._

When Oikawa looks over at his boyfriend, Hinata’s eyes are steady and thoughtful as he flicks his gaze between his teammate and back to him. For some odd reason, there’s something about the nature of the conversation—how it teeters precariously on the fine line between casual and terribly serious—that makes Oikawa feel transparent and exposed, and he wants more than anything to say something dismissive and offhand just to change the subject, even though he recognizes Hinata will just see right through the tactic.

“...If it were up to me,” Hinata answers carefully, as though weighing each word on his tongue, “I’d want to announce it to the world."

And that’s...

Such a _Shouyou_ answer.

So much so that Oikawa wants to let out the incredulous laugh building at the base of his throat. Because, _of course_. Of course Hinata would. It's one of the things that he admires the most about his boyfriend.

The fact that, no matter what the obstacle, Hinata faced everything head-on with a fiercely determined, single-minded tenacity—a type of fearlessness that _should_ only exist in books and movies, yet somehow made up the sum of his parts in such a characteristically defining _Shouyou_ way.

It shouldn’t be so surprising. This _is_ the guy that used to spike balls with his eyes closed. 

Years later, and that’s still one of the things that draws Oikawa to him in the first place—the _fearlessness_. He supposes that the more things change, the more things stay the same, after all. Though, the realization does nothing to lessen the unease growing in the back of his mind, beginning to cast shadows in its wake, despite his attempts to ignore it.

Oikawa tears his eyes away from Hinata's searching gaze and looks back his teammates, making sure to keep his voice light and playful. “You’ve got to be cautious about these things, you know? Not everyone is so open-minded.”

"That's true," one of his other teammates agrees. "It's still kind of looked down upon here, huh?"

"That's an understatement," Oikawa supplies, thinking back to a particular headline he had read a few weeks back, detailing the coming out of a well-known Argentinean pro-basketball player. The media had not taken his public admission lightly in any sense, and after watching the events play out, Oikawa came to the conclusion that he would much rather keep their relationship to themselves than be at the center of such negative backlash.

Besides, they couldn't afford to be _reckless_ , not now, not when the both of them were at the height of their respective careers and becoming more world-renowned with each passing season. Oikawa's worked so _hard_ to get where he is now—they _both_ have. 

Why would they risk that?

Oikawa doesn’t realize that he’s spoken the rest of his thoughts out loud until he notices how deadly silent the table is, all conversations suddenly screeching to a halt as everyone turns to look between him and Hinata with a building sense of apprehension and awkwardness.

“...Is that really what you think?” Hinata asks, voice so soft that Oikawa barely hears it over the sound of the boisterous chatter from the nearby tables. 

And instantly, Oikawa realizes that he's already messed up—can sense the impending argument from a mile a way like the smell of rain just before a storm hits—and tries to backtrack before the situation becomes too uncomfortable to bear in front of the rest of his teammates.

So, once again, he deflects.

”It’s really not that big of deal, Shou-chan,” Oikawa offers with a shrug of his shoulders as a show of face, “We can talk about it more later if you want, okay?”

And before Hinata can answer, Oikawa turns back to Ignacio and changes the subject to a much safer topic and begins discussing their new change in uniforms, of all things, and by the time their dinner comes to a close, the tension between them is quiet and building, threatening to tip over and spill into the silence of the car ride as they make their way back to Oikawa’s apartment. 

After being with his boyfriend for years now, Oikawa knows better than to let his guard down, because the second that the door shuts behind them, Hinata whirls around and corners him. "So what did you mean then?”

The brunette sidesteps him, more or less expecting the ambush, to shrug off his jacket and hang it on the coat rack behind him. "I really don't want to argue about this, Shou-chan."

“Do you really think that being with me is reckless?” Hinata continues his line of questioning, not phased in the slightest by Oikawa’s attempts to diffuse the situation. Usually, the ginger-haired man was quick to compromise, accustomed to having to play the role of being the 'sensible' one in their relationship, but clearly that wasn't the case this time around.

Sighing, Oikawa pins him with a steady look. “I just don’t think it’s worth fighting about.”

Latching on to the comment with a sharpness that Hinata usually only reserves for the court, the smaller man narrows his eyes at him, not backing down an inch. “...So, you don’t think we’re worth it, then? Worth fighting for?” 

“Okay, I never _said_ that—”

“But that’s what you meant, isn’t it?”

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit unreasonable about this, Shouyou?”

“It’s never unreasonable to fight for the things you want, _Tooru_ ,” Hinata declares, putting an angry emphasis on his name. The smaller man sounds so certain and so sure that it makes Oikawa want to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him.

There's a more sensible part of him that urges him to put a stop to their argument before they begin to say things they don't mean, but a misplaced sense of pride holds his tongue from apologizing. It takes a moment for Oikawa to realize that this is one of the first times since they started officially dating that he's actually frustrated _at_ Hinata. After years of being in each other's company and always managing to compromise before any of their disagreements ever got too heated, it's a foreign feeling to the say the least. 

So, rather than attempting to diffuse the situation again, like he normally would, Oikawa matches Hinata's fiery remarks with a few choice words of his own.

“What makes you think I’m not fighting for us? We’ve made this relationship work well so far, haven’t we? Why do we need to announce it? Can’t we just keep things the way they are?” Oikawa challenges hotly, ignoring the pricks of guilt he feels as he does so.

“But what if that’s not enough for me, Tooru?" Hinata counters back, "What if I want to be able to announce it? I’m not ashamed of us.”

“I’m not ashamed of us either!” Oikawa responds indignantly, furious that Hinata would even think that. There's a part of him that tries to reason with himself that Hinata is just hurt and pressing the buttons he knows will draw out a heated response from him, but Oikawa is too incensed to concede, especially not when the orange-haired man steps into his space and presses an accusing finger into his chest.

“If that was true, then you wouldn’t be afraid of making our relationship public. But you _are,"_ Hinata states angrily, and Oikawa's mind unwittingly flashes to the tabloid headlines that he always chooses to ignore, "Do you care more about your public image than you care about us?”

And for one brief, panicked moment, Oikawa second guesses himself. Because...w _as Hinata right?_ Did he care more about his public image than his own relationship? He doesn't want to believe it, but there's something about his past actions that speak louder than his words. And he knows that Hinata has probably realized it, too.

“I _care_ about both of our careers, Shouyou," Oikawa insists fiercely, contradicting his own doubts on the matter, "Why risk putting everything on the line right now? What’s the rush? Why can’t this wait?” 

The last part comes out almost pleading, and not able to meet the other man's critical stare, Oikawa storms away to their bedroom, knowing he's falling back to his typical display of dramatics and kind of hating himself all the more for it. He feels Hinata following him close behind, but instead of acknowledging him, he chooses to stiffly go through the motions of getting ready for bed.

By the time he's changed into his sleepwear and turning to his side so he can pull the comforters around his shoulders and not have to face the other man in the room, Hinata finally decides to break the silence.

“If not now, then _when?_ When would you be ready? A year from now? Five years from now?” His voice is softer now, far less accusing than it was before, but it does nothing to help ease the anxiety building within him.

Because the truth of the matter is, Oikawa doesn’t know _when_ he will ever be ready. It’s impossible to make that call now, not when they both still have so much left to prove to the world. He thought that he and Hinata were on the same page in that regard—that their careers always had to come first.

...But maybe that wasn't the case after all.

Turning his body around to face Hinata then, immediately taking in his bright hazel eyes, wet with unshed tears and unspoken apologies, and the way his small frame looks even slimmer, almost drowning, in Oikawa’s spare jersey as he lays next to him—the distinct, pale blue bringing out the tan in Hinata’s skin even in the darkness of their bedroom—Oikawa makes a choice.

Instead of answering Hinata's searching questions, Oikawa leans over to cross the space in between them and kisses him.

The moment his lips meet Hinata's, Oikawa can feel the smaller man freeze up with the desire to resist—to keep talking and work things out—but that's the _last_ thing he wants to do; so, with a careful swipe of tongue and his hands rising to rest purposefully at his boyfriend's waist, Oikawa presses further until he feels Hinata start to relax, slowly melting against him and kissing back with just as much fervor.

Oikawa knows that this is just another method of deflection—just like he knows where to kiss and touch to make Hinata forget what they were arguing about in the first place.

He's not ready to answer any more questions. Not yet. But for now, at least he can have _this._

It’s when they are laying in bed together after the fact, Oikawa tracing words and patterns on the back of Hinata’s skin that he realizes the truth of the matter in startling clarity. 

That this is temporary.

That they are running out of time.

...That this is him saying goodbye.

Months later, in the heat of another argument, Oikawa can't stop the words from spilling out of him—words that have been stewing in the back of his mind and will haunt him for the nights to come.

“You _understand, don’t you? Why this can’t work out between us?”_

-

When Oikawa stops talking, Iwaizumi is silent for a long moment.

“Okay, so you fucked up," he supplies, rather unhelpfully, before asking, "Now, what are you going to _do_ about it?”

On the other end of the line, Oikawa sighs loudly, and the dark-haired man can almost imagine his friend carding a hand through his hair in frustration, pacing around in whatever room he's in.

_“I don’t know.”_

“...Do you want him back?” Iwaizumi inquires, somehow already discerning the answer to the question even before hearing Oikawa's annoyed huff muffled through the phone.

_“Of course I do._ _But it’s not that easy.”_

“Well, it’s not supposed to be easy.”

_“Why would he even want me back after that?”_

Iwaizumi frowns, because for once, maybe Oikawa _doesn't_ deserve all of the blame. He can't really fault the other man for being _afraid_ , not when he had every right to be. Yes, maybe Oikawa's pride ultimately got in the way of what he really wanted, but it didn't change the fact that Hinata had essentially forced his hand on the matter.

For this particular instance, perhaps things weren't as black and white as Iwaizumi had previously assumed.

Still...

"He asked you if your relationship was worth fighting for, and you gave up," Iwaizumi recounts, wondering if his words are as harsh as they sound, "How are you going to convince him that things are different?"

_"I'm not sure yet. But...I'd like to think that I have my priorities in order now_ _."_ The bitter laugh punctuating the end of his sentence says more than Oikawa probably intends.

“If you want Hinata back, you’re going to have to fight for him this time,” Iwaizumi warns seriously, "No more deflecting."

Oikawa grumbles unintelligibly on the other end, voice muffled slightly by something. _"It doesn't even matter, anyway. Shouyou won't even talk to me. How am I supposed to win him back when he won't even answer my calls or texts? He lives in a whole other country."_

"So, about that..." Iwaizumi pauses, an idea already forming in his mind as he contemplates the possibilities, weighing the pros and cons. “I may or may not have a solution for you, but...you can't tell anyone I told you this. Got it?” 

_“...Iwa-chan?”_ Oikawa ventures hesitantly, clearly unsure where Iwaizumi is going with this. 

"Everyone will be pissed if they find out," the dark-haired man continues gruffly, "But if I don’t help you, you’re just going to keep on being sad and pathetic, and well, that just makes you even more annoying than usual. So, this would honestly be preferable.”

_“H-hey! Wait a second—”_

“Look,” Iwaizumi begins, surveying the room he is occupying in an almost paranoid manner to ensure that no one is around to eavesdrop, “There’s going to be a huge interview for the Monster Generation that the Japanese Volleyball Association is hosting. Kuroo is in charge of it.”

_“Okay...and?”_

“ _And,_ ” Iwaizumi confides, rather reluctantly at best, “...Hinata is probably going to be there.”

_"...Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"_

"I am not _suggesting_ anything. I am merely providing you with some possibly helpful information that you may or may not find interesting. What you choose to do with that information is on you."

The silence on the other end of the line tells Iwaizumi that Oikawa is finally putting two and two together, and he keeps his voice low as he says, “Look, Shittykawa. It’s easy to lose something like that...and really hard to get it back again. Understand?" 

_"...Yeah, I do."_

And before, he's accused of being a sap, Iwaizumi tacks on, "So, don’t fuck up again.”

_“I won't. Or well, I'll try not to at least."_ He hears Oikawa let out a loud breath, and inwardly hopes that he made the right decision.

_"...Thank you, Iwa-chan.”_

Weeks later, when he receives the furious texts from the National Team group chat, minus one oblivious Hinata, questioning which one of them informed Oikawa about the interview, Iwaizumi pretends to not have any idea what they are talking about and pointedly mutes the chat for the rest of the foreseeable future.

It was out of his hands now.

-

The night before the interview, Hinata wakes up from a nightmare, gasping into the cold air of the living room and getting a mouthful of fur as Bokkun, his unofficial sleeping partner, huffs and kicks him in his sleep, his smaller body twisting to burrow further into Hinata's stomach. 

"Oof," Hinata breathes as he gets a paw right in the cheek. Despite the heavy vestiges of his nightmare still lingering in the back of his mind, he finds that he can't really recall any details from the dream, and he pets the dog beside him to calm his erratic heartbeat.

Body still exhausted, Hinata wants more than anything to just go back to sleep and attempts to do just that—squeezing his eyes shut and quieting his thoughts. But the more he tries, the more he is reminded of what awaits him in just a few hours time, and he realizes rather hopelessly that his attempts are futile.

Groaning, Hinata eases himself into a sitting position on the couch, careful not to disturb the grumbling labradoodle that slides and stretches to fill in the open space he leaves behind. As the blanket falls off of his shoulders to pool around his waist, he blinks sleepily into the darkened apartment, wondering what he should do to make himself fall back asleep and almost jumps in alarm when a light switches on in the kitchen.

“Shouyou-kun? Ya still awake?”

Hinata whips his head around to see Atsumu illuminated by the light of the now open refrigerator door, body half-bent to grab a water bottle from inside, as he turns to stare at him curiously from over his shoulder. 

"Oh! Atsumu-san! I...uh, I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep," Hinata explains rather awkwardly, not wanting to delve into any specifics. He's a grown man and almost nearing his thirties, for goodness' sake. There is no reason why he should be waking up from nightmares at his age.

Though, from the way Atsumu squints his eyes at him from the other side of the room, his former teammate seems to regard his explanation with a grain of salt.

“It’s 1 in the morning,” the blonde points out, wandering further into the living room and shutting the refrigerator door behind him with his foot. Hinata jumps at the abrupt sound, blinking rapidly until his eyes refocus as the room becomes encompassed in darkness once more. "Did you have a bad dream or something?"

“Something like that,” the orange-haired man responds vaguely, unconsciously tracking Atsumu's silhouette as the other man stops next to him and leans over the back of the couch to stare down at his half-sitting form.

“Is the couch uncomfortable? I told ya that my bed was free,” Atsumu teases, brown eyes crinkling in amusement when Hinata splutters in response. “I don’t mind sharing.”

Hinata clears his throat loudly in an attempt to cover up his own embarrassed reaction, averting his eyes from the blonde's amused gaze to look down at the sleeping dog beside him. “You keep mentioning that...”

“Do I?” Atsumu asks nonchalantly, twisting at the cap of his water bottle to open it and taking a large swig.

"Yeah, you do," Hinata affirms, growing all the more flustered when the other man's mouth quirks upwards, bottle still pressed to his lips.

Atsumu hums under his breath thoughtfully, watching him with observant brown eyes. "Worried about tomorrow?"

“It's hard not to be."

"Ain't too late to back out."

Hinata shakes his head to dismiss the idea. "Somehow, that's even worse."

Atsumu cocks his head. "How would that be worse?"

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Hinata considers the question, face scrunching up in thought. “Ever had your heart broken, Atsumu-san?” he asks suddenly, words twining in the darkness of the room.

There's a momentary beat of silence before Atsumu replies, and Hinata can see, almost feel, the contemplative brightness of the other man's gaze. “No, can’t say I have.”

“Well, it’s almost like...having a scar," Hinata explains, absentmindedly reaching down to pet at the dog pressed up like a furnace along his side, "You know...the kind that doesn't really heal right away."

"Maybe 'cause ya keep on picking at it," Atsumu supplies, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, and Hinata can tell from the gleam in those intelligent eyes that he's grasped onto the analogy quicker than expected. "It'd probably heal better if ya left it alone."

Hinata's heart involunarily speeds up at the layered words, wondering if he's imagining the double-meaning behind them. He can't help but watch, holding his breath, at the way the blonde leans further across the back of the couch—the side of his arm almost brushing across the front of Hinata's chest to pet Bokkun's exposed belly, making the dog whine and twist his body towards his touch.

"But it's not that easy," Hinata finds himself saying, eyes still trained on the way Atsumu continues to linger in his space.

When Atsumu lifts his gaze to meet his, Hinata tries not to noticeably freeze up. "Ain't it?"

"Sometimes you can't help but tear it back open, even though you _know_ you shouldn't...just to remind yourself that it's there..." Hinata discloses, feeling almost transparent with the way Atsumu's dark eyes never leave his as he speaks, "...and then before you know it, you're right back where you started, waiting for the stupid scar to scab over again and only having yourself to blame."

"Seems a bit self-destructive if ya ask me."

"Probably because it is," Hinata admits with a shrug.

"...And this is why I avoid relationships," Atsumu concludes wryly, diffusing some of the tension in the room by making Hinata laugh out loud. 

"I thought it was because you said you couldn't afford the distractions," Hinata comments, grinning when the blonde makes a face at him in turn.

"Yeah. That, too."

"Should have listened to your advice, Atsumu-san," Hinata laments jokingly, "I might have been better off."

"Maybe," Atsumu offers in a low drawl, "...Or maybe not."

The blonde's vague answer has Hinata furrowing his brows in thought, and he's about to ask the other man what he means by it, when Atsumu suddenly reaches out to lazily curl a finger around a stray hair atop his head, his low voice startling Hinata out of his wayward thoughts. 

"That why yer having trouble sleeping, Shouyou-kun?"

Hinata feels his cheeks heat up when Atsumu makes no move to pull away, tugging almost playfully at his hair. "I-uh, I guess? I've been waking up from these nightmares every now and then," he answers distractedly, not intending to actually respond truthfully to the question and surprised at himself for doing so.

“Nightmares, huh?" Atsumu murmurs, mostly to himself, before dropping the soft locks from between his fingers. No longer feeling the soft tug of his hair, Hinata finally releases the breath he's been holding, only to stiffen up again when the other man moves forward to run his entire hand through the tangled, disheveled strands. Hinata tries and fails to hold in the shiver that wracks up his body at the sensation, unconsciously leaning into the touch before he can stop himself. 

"Tell me about 'em," Atsumu urges, bending his fingers to scratch softly against Hinata's scalp, in a way that makes his toes curl involuntarily from beneath the blanket still half-covering his form.

"H-huh?" Hinata answers intelligibly, more than a little dazed from the way Atsumu's fingers curl into his hair and trail to press softly against the back of his neck before carding through the now-detangled strands again.

"Your nightmares," Atsumu coaxes, his smug expression hidden from view when Hinata's eyes drift close in contentment. "What are they about?"

“I don't know…” Hinata trails off, stifling a satisfied sound that threatens to rumble at the back of his throat when Atsumu hums, massaging his fingers against a particularly tense spot on the side of the orange-haired man's neck. Not unlike the dog currently nestled beside him, Hinata tilts his head to the side to accommodate him, feeling a sense of sluggishness overtake him. "...I never really remember them."

“Then what do you remember?" 

“Waking up alone…” Hinata whispers, attempting to hold back another embarrassing groan of pleasure at the purposeful press of fingers dragging slowly through his hair.

“...then why dontcha change that?” 

At that, Hinata forces his eyes open through the haze of relaxation and sleepiness that the other man has lulled him into, and it's only then that he notices just how close Atsumu suddenly is. So close that he can see himself reflected in those dark, knowing eyes.

"I know what you're doing, Atsumu-san..." Hinata says, knitting his brows together in suspicion as he regards the playful way Atsumu's lips seem to quirk upwards at his words.

"I don't know what you mean, Shouyou-kun."

"You're not as sneaky as you think..."

"I don't think I'm being very sneaky at all, if I'm being honest with ya," Atsumu muses, fingers pausing in their careful exploration to rest gently at the base of Hinata's neck—waiting. "In fact, I think I've made my intentions perfectly clear."

Feeling his breath catch in his throat at the words, Hinata stares at the other man warily.

There's a part of him—the wiser, more cautious voice in his head—that warns him to pull away _now_ , while he's still on safe ground. Hinata knows he's just now getting over his ex, and with the way he's behaving, it's clear that he might not be in the right frame of mind to jump into anything new.

And yet...

There's another voice, growing ever louder the longer that Atsumu's branding touch lingers warm and heavy against his skin, that longs to pull the other man forward and make him act on every teasing implication that he's made since Hinata's come home.

Unwittingly, he thinks of the voicemail left unopened in his inbox and feels his self-control begin to waver.

"That offer..." Hinata murmurs, wondering if he's half-asleep or imagining the way the blonde drifts ever closer, a warm puff of breath ghosting softly against his lips. "...is it still on the table?"

And in the dark of the living room, brown eyes twinkling with promise and...maybe something like hope, Atsumu _smiles_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Ahaha, when you expect to have all this time to write during the holidays, but you later realize that assumption was f a l s e. Sorry, y'all! Last chapter will hopefully be posted next week, though it's a much longer one to tie up the rest of the story! (Actually wondering if I should split it up into two chapters...hmm...)
> 
> (2) If you want to read more about the Argentinean basketball player I referenced in the story, check out this article: [Sebastian Vega](https://www.outsports.com/2020/3/20/21188481/gay-sebastian-vega-pro-basketball-player-comes-out-argentina)
> 
> (3) Also, I see a lot of y'all are curious as to what the endgame pairing is, and I'VE TAGGED WHAT I CAN WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING. SORRY!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to split up this chapter into two parts! Enjoy!

It was some time past midnight when Hinata rolled over in bed, half-asleep and bleary-eyed when he caught sight of the light emanating from his phone, despite it being half-buried in his comforter.

A single tap on the screen quickly informed him that he was still on speaker phone with his boyfriend and had been for over three hours now. Yawning, Hinata rubbed at his eyes groggily and maneuvered himself onto his side, curling his body around the phone.

“Psst. Tooru-kun,” he said sleepily, “You still there?”

There was a sound of rustling and movement before he heard a soft, soothing voice on the other end, smooth like butter. It made Hinata’s already sleep-addled brain melt a little bit further at the sound of it.

_“Shou-chan? What are you doing awake? It’s almost one in the morning over there.”_

One in the morning in Japan meant that it was just a little past noon back in Argentina where Oikawa currently resided, and Hinata wondered absently why his boyfriend hadn’t just hung up the phone when Hinata had fallen asleep to go about his day.

“Bed’s too empty, can’t sleep,” Hinata murmured, stifling another yawn as he twisted around in his bedsheets to get more comfortable. “What are you up to?”

_“Just finished my run and about to whip something up for lunch.”_

If Hinata closed his eyes, he could almost visualize the sight of his handsome boyfriend bustling around the kitchen to prepare his meal—his skin still sweat-slick from his run and freshly bronzed from the Argentina sun as he absently carded a hand through his hair. The mental image alone had Hinata sighing in longing, and Oikawa must have recognized the sound because he immediately chuckled, and his next words came out as a low, knowing drawl.

_“...What are you thinking about, Shou-chan?”_

It should have been embarrassing how well Oikawa could read him based off of a single sigh alone, but Hinata figured his boyfriend had a year of practice at this point, and well—it didn’t necessarily _hurt_ to be so transparent.

“Nothing good, I can assure you,” Hinata muttered softly, feeling his cheeks redden at his not-so innocent line of thinking. 

“ _Oh?”_ And just the single-worded question alone sent a trail of butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “ _Do tell.”_

“Not if I actually want to get some sleep tonight,” Hinata said with a small huff, pouting to himself even as he continued to briefly consider the suggestion, “You know, you didn’t actually have to stay on the phone with me this whole time, Tooru-kun.” 

Since they made their long distance relationship official over a year ago, it became routine for them to be on the phone with one another or video chatting when the opportunity arose. The timing was never great with the hour differences between the two of them, but they both put in the effort to make it work.

Sometimes, they would time it perfectly; like when Hinata would call Oikawa during his morning commute and catch the other man just as he was getting his dinner ready. During those moments, it always seemed so seamless and easy. Oikawa would catch him up on his day, and Hinata would inform him of what his own plans were as he watched the scenery pass by through the bus window.

Other times, long distance seemed like an endless, frustrating game of phone tag—so many voicemails that said _hey, probably just missed you_ and _you’re probably busy right now, but_ —only made easier by way of the constant stream of texts they sent to one another.

Just the day before, it seemed like he and Oikawa somehow kept missing one another no matter what time of day it was. When Hinata had called after practice, Oikawa had still been asleep, and by the time Oikawa woke up and attempted to return his call, Hinata had just stepped into the shower.

Hinata wondered if that was why Oikawa had stayed on the phone now, once Hinata had finally gotten a hold of him as he had gotten ready for bed, to make up for all the missed conversations of the day.

_“I know_ ,” Oikawa said, _“But, listening to you sleep talk was a great ambient track to run to. This time you were mumbling something about beating Tobio-chan’s serve record. I had to know what happened next.”_

Hinata sputtered in response, and he could hear Oikawa laughing on the other end of the line.

“I do _not_ sleep talk,” Hinata eventually countered, blushing despite himself. 

_“You do,”_ Oikawa easily shot back. “ _And it’s adorable. I don’t know why no one has informed you of this before.”_

“Because it _isn’t true_.”

_“Uh-huh. Remind me to record you next time we’re together.”_

Almost unwillingly, Hinata felt himself linger on the words at the tail end of his sentence, his good humor falling away instantly. “And when will _that_ be, exactly?” 

_“Soon.”_

“How soon?” 

_“Shouyou.”_ Oikawa’s tone was tired, despite Hinata having been the one to wake up just minutes before.

Hinata let out a soft, frustrated sigh, knowing he wasn’t really being fair. It wasn’t his boyfriend’s fault after all. They had known what they were getting into when they signed up to be in a long distance relationship. “Sorry. I just...I _hate_ not having you here. I hate not knowing when I’ll get to see you next—if I get to see you at all. I just…” 

_“I know.”_

“...miss you, all the time.”

_“I miss you, too_.”

“Why did we agree to this again?”

_“...Because you said it was better than the friends-with-benefits situation we had before?”_ From Oikawa’s snort on the other end, it sounded like he only half-believed that to be true.

“Oh yeah. That was way worse. At least now you’re forced to tell me you love me,” Hinata joked sleepily, in spite of himself.

There was a pause, and then…

_“I do, you know. Love you_.”

Hinata had fallen asleep to those same words more times than he could count, but that didn’t mean he ever got tired of hearing them. And looking back now, that’s probably what still gets to Hinata the most—

How _sure_ Oikawa had sounded.

How absolutely steadfast he had been.

No matter how many times Hinata plays back the memories making themselves at home in the back of his head, he still can never pinpoint the exact moment when Oikawa had stopped.

When had he realized?

When had he stopped being so sure?

...And, worst of all, how had Hinata not noticed until the _last possible moment_ ? When Oikawa was already packed and half out the door—all sad eyes and apologies and the word _goodbye_ tasting like ash on his tongue.

One of the hardest things that Hinata comes to terms with after getting his heart broken is that it isn’t necessarily just about the _having_ or the _wanting_. 

It takes him a while to finally get it through his head. And for weeks after the break-up, he has to keep reminding himself that Oikawa isn’t _his_ —not anymore. Hinata knows he can’t _have_ him. Not in any of the ways that count, at least.

And wanting him? Wanting him is easy. 

Hinata would _always_ want him.

But the space…

It’s the _space_ that’s going to destroy him.

-

...Because how do you fill in the space that someone leaves behind?

-

Six months after relearning how to sleep on his own, Hinata wakes up for the first time in someone else’s bed.

It takes him a few moments of flitting in between sleep and wakefulness before the realization of exactly _whose_ bed he’s in catches up to him, and Hinata quickly startles himself awake, eyes shooting open wide, a surprised yelp caught in his throat when he turns and sees a familiar blonde head of hair burrowed in the pillows beside him.

A million questions race through his brain all at once, each vying over the other for dominance. _What was he thinking? What happened last night? Did they actually…?_

It takes him just a second longer to recall the conversation in the kitchen from the night before—the unmistakable hints of something intimate and ardent in the undercurrent of Atsumu’s words—how he had drawn so, _so close_ , and the way his dark eyes shone in the dim kitchen lighting as he stared down at him.

_“Your nightmares. What are they about?”_

_“I never really remember them…”_

_“Then what do ya remember?”_

_“Waking up alone.”_

_“...then why dontcha change that?”_

Hinata’s breath hitches as his mind flashes to what had quickly transpired after following Atsumu into his bedroom—the memory of how nervous he had been before getting pushed down onto the bed, weak protests dying on his lips as firm fingers grasped at his chin to tilt his gaze upwards and meet Atsumu’s intent, dark eyes.

_“Are ya sure about this, Shouyou-kun?”_

He can barely remember what his own response had been, can barely think past the memory of how that gaze had pinned him in his place as Atsumu leaned in close to finally press his lips against his own. Hinata feels his cheeks warm and he can’t help but gnaw nervously at his bottom lip, thinking back to the sensation of Atsumu’s hands and mouth on his body.

Instinct tells him that if he were to inspect himself in the mirror, he’d find some _interesting_ marks trailing along his collarbone and a few tell-tale finger-shaped bruises around his waist. Hinata can already feel a soreness in his body that feels both strangely uncomfortable and familiar, and he wrestles with the conflicting emotions that rise to the surface.

_Oh god._

_What was he thinking?_

_Did he really just sleep with Atsumu?_

Hinata had always known that there was a shared understanding and admiration between them, even after he got over his silly high school crush on the blonde. But somewhere along the line, their easy companionship had evolved into something _else…_

Something _more._

Hinata just isn’t sure when it exactly happened.

His gaze drifts over to Atsumu then, still asleep at his side. The other man looks so soft like this, face relaxed and free of its trademark smirk and sharp, knowing stares. Even after years of knowing Atsumu, Hinata always felt like he was just getting past the surface level, like there was always a part of the other man he was never privy to.

He thought that giving into his physical desires and sleeping with Atsumu would be simple— _casual_ , even. They were friends after all, and neither of them were the type to want to complicate things. 

But last night…

Last night had been anything _but_ casual.

From the very moment Hinata entered his bedroom, the heat in Atsumu’s words—in his gaze, in his touch—all of it clearly communicated a spectrum of emotions and desire that went far beyond a normal hook-up between friends. 

There’s no way Hinata could have imagined it.

Not when he remembers how Atsumu had kissed him—with a single-minded desperation that made Hinata’s eyelids flutter shut and his toes curl. From the soft, tender press of lips as Atsumu eased himself into Hinata’s space to the harsh and fervent nips the other man had seared onto his skin between moans and surprisingly dirty words whispered in his ear that had Hinata gasping for more.

No, there is clearly something more going on here. Something that has Hinata dying to shake the other man awake and demand answers.

He finds himself itching to reach out and run his hand through Atsumu’s soft, blonde hair just like the other man had done to him the night before, rendering him into the weak, lax state that got him into this mess to begin with.

But before he can act on the impulse, a soft vibration from underneath his pillow interrupts his train of thought, and Hinata quickly grabs at his phone and turns off his alarm just as Atsumu groans and turns over, still thankfully asleep.

A glance down at his phone reminds him just what day it is, and Hinata is hit with an overwhelming feeling of guilt and trepidation.

He’s going to see Oikawa today.

For the first time since their break-up.

...And Hinata, for some godforsaken reason, decided to _sleep_ with one of his _very good friends_ the night before.

A groan escapes his mouth before he can stop it, and the soft noise is loud enough to alert the furry companion that had followed him into the bedroom the night before. Bokkun lifts his head up from where he’s laying on the floor next to the bed and lets out a low whine as he stretches.

It’s not long before Bokkun lets out an impatient huff, his wet nose jabbing at Hinata’s hide, willing the human to greet him properly, completely ignorant of Hinata’s current existential crisis. 

“Okay, okay.” Hinata caves easily to the panting dog, and carefully slides out from beneath the covers. “I’ll take you out. Just hold on a sec.”

If his cheeks become red yet again as he reaches down and grabs his discarded articles of clothing off the floor, well, Hinata is just glad no one is around or awake enough to give him any grief about it. He takes one last, long look at Atsumu before he leaves the room, telling himself that they’ll talk soon enough. 

-

The morning of the interview, Sakusa wakes up promptly as he usually does at 5:30AM. He goes about his morning routine, mentally going through his daily to-do list and crossing things off as he goes along.

_Feed the dogs_

_Take the dogs out on a walk_

_Make morning protein shake_

_Wake-up Hina_ —

Fully dressed in casual work-out gear, Sakusa stares blankly at the empty couch for a good, long moment. He notes the borrowed sheets folded haphazardly at the foot of the end cushion and narrows his eyes as Shou and Tsum-Tsum twirl around in circles by his feet, impatient to go out. 

Bokkun, however, is suspiciously absent. Along with a certain ginger.

Just then, across the hall, Atsumu’s bedroom door creaks open, and out comes an excited labradoodle, wagging his tail as he darts to greet Sakusa and the other two dogs with friendly sniffs. Suspicion growing by the second, Sakusa stares down at Bokkun questioningly before looking over at Atsumu’s door, which was still slightly ajar. 

His patience is rewarded when a sleep-mussed Hinata, orange hair disheveled and clad in a pair of boxers and nothing else wanders out of Atsumu’s bedroom, rubbing at his eyes tiredly as he grips a lump of wrinkled clothes in his other hand. He’s stifling a yawn and looking over to where Bokkun ran off to down the hall when his sleepy gaze meets Sakusa’s.

And Sakusa feels a sense of grim satisfaction when he sees the exact moment that Hinata registers who he’s looking at. The orange-haired man’s eyes widen comically and his whole body freezes in place, mouth opening and closing as he stammers out a greeting.

“O-Omi-san! G-good morning!”

Sakusa chooses to respond by arching a brow at Hinata and then pointedly directs his narrowed gaze back at Atsumu’s bedroom door where he just existed. Hinata follows his gaze, looking over his own shoulder, and then down at his half-dressed state before turning red and attempting to formulate a proper response. 

“O-oh. Well, you see...I...We…” 

“You…?” Sakusa prompts, not feeling sympathetic in the slightest.

Hinata reaches up to rub the back of his head in growing sheepishness. “Err, we kinda…”

He’s saved momentarily when Bokuto’s bedroom door opens, and the silver-haired man exits his room just a second later, yawning loudly as he stretches his arms over his head. When he spots the other two men in the hallway, Bokuto pauses in place and cocks his head to the side curiously, a morning greeting half out of his mouth as his brain processes the sight before him. 

Curious amber eyes look from Sakusa’s stern frown and then drop down to the pups at his feet, and then over to Hinata, who was still clad in only his boxers, standing awkwardly in front of their other teammate’s closed bedroom door.

It doesn’t take him long to put two and two together, and suddenly Bokuto’s eyes widen in what could only be a mixture of shock and gleeful excitement.

“No way…”

Hinata, if possible, reddens even further. “I can explain—”

“Shouyou, you _didn’t!_ ”

Hinata lets out a strangled noise of embarrassment, which Bokuto takes as an invitation to meander closer to inspect the damage, clicking his tongue in amusement as he looks him up and down. “So, you took Tsum-Tsum up on his offer, huh? Well, he really did a number on you…”

“Oh god. How bad is it?” Hinata asks helplessly, raising a hand to clutch at his neck as he looks from one man to the other. “Is it that noticeable?”

“Well, let me put it this way,” Bokuto says with a smirk, “Does your Asas Sao Paulo uniform come with a turtle-neck option by chance?”

Hinata shoots him a desperate look at that, and as though sensing the impending drama taking place in the hallway, Atsumu chooses that exact moment to exit his room, stopping short right at Hinata’s heels. 

“Oh,” the blonde says simply from behind him, “Well, this is awkward.”

Hinata peers up at him from over his shoulder, and when the two make eye contact, Atsumu finds the corner of his mouth curling upwards in amusement as he gives him a quick once-over. The memories from the night before come rushing back at Atsumu’s gaze, and Hinata has to quickly look away, clearing his throat to stop his line of thinking from progressing embarrassingly further.

“So,” Bokuto starts good-naturedly, “How was it?”

Hinata chokes, and Atsumu actually looks as though he’s considering answering the question.

Feeling the dogs at his feet begin to tug impatiently at their leashes in his hands, Sakusa sighs to himself and decides to give the other man an out. 

“Hinata-kun...why don’t you join me on my morning walk?”

At the “w” word, the dogs perk up again, tails wagging in tandem, and Hinata shoots him a look of pure relief.

“Ah...yes...please. Let me just…” He gestures awkwardly to the bathroom and slowly sidesteps into it, bundle of clothes pressed tightly to his chest as he quickly closes the door behind him. It’s the saddest excuse of an escape that Sakusa has ever had the misfortune of witnessing, but it gives him the opportunity to turn and stare at Atsumu expectantly.

“Well…?”

Bokuto directs an exaggerated thumbs-up motion to Atsumu, wiggling his eyebrows in tandem. “Can’t believe your plan actually worked, Tsum-Tsum.”

“Neither do I, actually,” Atsumu admits with a shrug, eyes drifting over to the shut bathroom door. 

“Details?!”

“Nope. Not a chance.”

“Aw come on,” Bokuto whines, “My two bestest friends hook up, and I don’t even get to hear how it was? How is that fair?”

“Please spare us,” Sakusa demands, shooting the silver-haired man a stern glare.

“Okay fine, no details then,” Bokuto concedes, “But what does this mean for you and Shouyou then? Are you guys...like...dating?”

“We didn’t actually get around to talkin’ about it,” Atsumu informs them, crossing his arms.

“Right, right. Smart move,” Bokuto responds, nodding his head rapidly, “Sleep with your friend who you’ve been crushing on for years—who just happens to not be completely over his ex yet—and _don’t_ talk about it. Got it.”

Atsumu lunges to grab Bokuto by the shirt, but the other man ducks behind Sakusa, who is staring at the blonde with an assessing look.

“He’s got a point,” Sakusa says. 

“And?”

“And,” Sakusa continues, “You guys should probably talk about it.”

“We will, okay?!” Atsumu exclaims, rather loudly, just as the bathroom door reopens, revealing a freshly showered Hinata in his wrinkled clothing from the night before. Sakusa doesn’t even think it’s possible for Hinata to look more uncomfortable than he does in that moment, framed in the bathroom doorway, eyes flickering from one man to the other. 

“Uh…” Hinata clears his throat. “Dogs? Walk? Why don’t we…?” He maneuvers himself around the crowded hallway towards the living room, pointedly avoiding any physical contact with Atsumu when he inches past him. The dogs immediately begin to follow when they realize that he’s headed to the front door.

Giving one last meaningful look at the other two, Sakusa trudges after them. He doesn’t even need to turn around to recognize the shit-eating grin Bokuto is directing at Atsumu, because the second the front door opens he hears the jeering begin anew.

“You _dog_ — _”_

_“_ I said _no_ details _!”_

-

The winter air is unforgiving in the morning, the wind sharp and chilly, and Hinata hunches his shoulders and tucks his chin further into his coat in search of warmth. He knows it’s only a matter of time before Sakusa decides to confront him over what transpired that morning, and he tries to mentally prepare a proper response for the questioning to come.

It’s when Sakusa turns and leads them down a familiar trail that offshoots from the side of their apartment, that he turns a questioning gaze towards Hinata.

“So,” he begins, “You and Atsumu…”

Hinata licks his lips, feeling the cold air immediately pick up on the dampness. “We slept together.”

Sakusa hums, low and thoughtful under his breath. 

Nervous at the lack of response, Hinata prattles on, “I don’t really know how it happened...one second we were talking about relationships and...scars, and,” he pauses, eyes flicking over to Sakusa who remains quiet, watching as the dogs sniff at the grass beside them as they walk. “...and then he invited me to his room and I...didn’t say no this time.”

Beside him, Bokkun tugs on his leash to investigate a nearby park bench, and Hinata complies, allowing himself to be pulled along. When he looks back over his shoulder at his former teammate, he sees Sakusa watching him with a contemplative look in his eye.

“You know, Hinata-kun,” the dark-haired man says almost casually, bending down to untangle Tsum-Tsum’s leash from Shou’s where the two have inadvertently tangled in their eagerness to follow after Bokkun. 

“...Atsumu’s liked you for a long time.”

Hinata’s breath catches in his throat at the admission, hazel eyes widening in surprise as he watches Sakusa continue to detangle the leashes in his hands. 

“I don’t know if you ever realized. You were with Oikawa for years, so, it makes sense that you never noticed it,” Sakusa says, turning to look at him with a small, pensive frown on his face. “But that guy’s always held a torch for you in some way or another.”

And then suddenly, all of Hinata’s questions from the night before begin to make sense—the passion he felt from Atsumu, the _longing_...it was real. All of it. It wasn’t casual or imagined like Hinata had initially wondered. No, Atsumu actually…

Has feelings for him?

_Likes_ him?

...And has for _years_?

“I don’t—” Hinata starts, expression open and a bit helpless as he tries to find the right words to say, but Sakusa merely shakes his head.

“I thought as much. You really didn’t know.”

Hinata frowns at the words, biting at his bottom lip as he considers them. “Omi-san. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because Atsumu will play it off like he could care less, and knowing him, he’ll probably even tell you he’s fine with keeping things casual between the two of you, even though that’s the opposite of the truth.”

Sakusa pauses for a moment and gives Hinata a measured look. “And because I know you’re not over Oikawa yet, and I think that Atsumu knows that, too.”

“But then why did he let me…?”

“Well,” Sakusa shrugs his shoulders slightly, “It’s better than nothing, right?”

Frowning, Hinata contemplates his answer, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth harshly. “I’m not sure what to do, Omi-san. I don’t want to rush into anything, not when I’m still—”

He pauses, not sure the correct word to use to describe his current mental state. 

Confused?

Heartbroken?

Emotionally unavailable?

“You have to figure out what you want, Hinata-kun. I can’t help you with that.”

Sakusa whistles at the dogs to get their attention when they begin to growl at another dog passing by on the other side of the walkway. “Let’s keep going. We don’t want to be late.”

“Wait.” Hinata takes a deep breath, trying to ease his racing thoughts. There’s so much he wants to ask. Just how long has Atsumu had feelings for him? Why didn’t anyone ever say anything? But before he can bombard the other man with an influx of questions, he stops himself. Instead, Hinata asks, “Do you think I’m being unfair?”

Sakusa looks over his shoulder at him, eyebrows furrowed in thought. “Unfair?”

“For sleeping with Atsumu-san even though I’m not over Oikawa yet,” Hinata says, “You must think I’m a terrible person."

“I think,” Sakusa begins slowly, “That you’re going through a difficult time right now, and you’re just trying to figure it out as you go.”

“But…”

“It’s only unfair if you don’t choose,” Sakusa says, continuing to walk ahead before Hinata can respond. “Though, I’m sure you already know that, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata watches the ground for a moment, lost in thought, as he contemplates Sakusa’s words. He knows the other man is right, and that he needs to figure out what exactly he wants. But...how is he supposed to decide when he doesn’t know what Atsumu wants? Let alone Oikawa? 

Suddenly, the interview that’s meant to take place in a few hours feels less like a team reunion and more like an impending death sentence.

“You coming?” Sakusa calls out behind him.

Hinata sighs mournfully. “Yeah, sorry.” Just mentally saying his prayers. “Right behind you.”

-

In theory, Atsumu knows that he should probably talk to Hinata before they get to the interview. It would be smarter to get it out of the way now so that the pressure of talking things out doesn’t weigh on them the whole morning. And that way, they can just focus on being the mature and put-together professionals they are.

Yes, _in theory_ , Atsumu knows this.

However, the second that he sees Hinata changed into his crimson-red Asas Sao Paulo uniform, his mind immediately short-circuits. He can’t stop his gaze from laser-focusing on the dark, bruising marks ever-so visible on Hinata’s collarbone, barely hidden from view when the shorter man moves _just right_.

_He made those marks_ , Atsumu’s relentless lizard brain can’t help but remind him. Hinata has hickeys on his neck and bruises on his waist and is walking slightly off-kilter because of _him_. 

_Atsumu did that_.

And, well, having a conversation about it kind of takes a backseat when all Atsumu can think of is _'holy shit, I can't believe I slept with Shouyou-kun'._ Instead, his eyes stay trained on Hinata’s back as he follows him and the others into the gym where the interview will be taking place.

Both Bokuto and Sakusa seem to be very aware of Atsumu’s train of thought, unfortunately, because they both keep exchanging knowing looks between each other when they think he and Hinata aren’t looking.

Which would probably annoy Atsumu more if he still wasn’t walking on cloud nine.

The second the gym doors open, they are greeted by the loud bustling of camera crews, support staff, and an assortment of individuals with badges around their necks indicating their credentials. 

The entire gym has been transformed. While the main court itself is untouched, the volleyball net is already set-up and in place, with a few photographers taking some panorama shots, the surrounding areas are filled with lighting stands and folded chairs and tables. 

It’s immediately overwhelming, but Hinata finds a strange sort of comfort in it. It’s impossible for him to get lost inside his own head when he can’t even hear himself think.

“Come on. Let’s go find the others,” Sakusa suggests, leading them through the throng of people. Many of them seem to recognize them and say their greetings, welcoming them to the event and pointing in the general direction where they need to go.

“Shouyou! You made it!”

Hinata looks over Bokuto’s shoulder to meet Hoshiumi’s wide grin. The shorter man is waving at him enthusiastically from beside Kageyama and Ushijima. The three of them are currently donning their respective team’s uniforms. Other than Hoshiumi, the other two were no longer players for the Adlers, and Hinata recognizes the familiar colors of Italy and Poland on Kageyama and Ushijima respectively. 

“Hey, guys. Good to see you,” Hinata greets happily, allowing his hair to be ruffled by Hoshiumi as Kageyama cocks his head to the side to inspect him.

“Oi, dumbass. Did you get shorter or something?” His former teammate holds out his hand like a measuring tool and waves it clear over his head.

Hinata instantly feels his smile twitch. “Why you—”

“It is far too early in the morning for you two to be bickering,” Ushijima cuts in, eyeing the two of them shrewdly.

“I must agree, Wakatoshi-kun,” Sakusa immediately adds, his own disapproving expression mirroring the other man’s. “We just got here.”

“Oh great, I forgot how much fun the two of you are together,” Atsumu remarks with an eye roll, sticking his tongue out behind Sakusa’s back. “A real comedic duo.”

“Ah, Atsumu. As mature as ever I see,” another voice says, and Hinata turns to the side to see Aran and Suna step up beside them, with Hyakuzawa and Komori not far behind.

“Wow, Kuroo-san wasn’t kidding when he said that the whole Monster Generation was invited, huh?” Hinata asks, becoming more and more excited as he surveys the growing group around him. “When was the last time we were all together?”

“It’s definitely been a while,” Hyakuzawa says, smiling down at him, “It’s good to see you, Shouyou.”

“Likewise!” Hinata answers, beaming up at him and reaching up to pat him on the shoulder. “How have you been? Still with the Railway Warriors, I see?” 

Hyakuzawa tugs softly at his uniform. “Yeah. It’s a great team. We’re doing pretty well in the Division 1 League this year.” He pauses for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he looks down at Hinata thoughtfully. “What about you? How is...Brazil?”

Something in the other man’s tone has Hinata stopping short, and he looks up at him with squinted eyes. “Brazil is fine,” he responds slowly.

“And...everything else...is good?”

The others around them must overhear, because it’s not long before Hinata feels curious eyes on him, as if they all had been waiting to ask the same question. It occurs to him that in the six months since the break-up, he never actually made an official announcement about it.

The only one he technically told was Bokuto, and judging from the way the silver-haired man is shooting him concerned looks, Hinata can only assume that he must have informed everyone else at some point. It would explain why even Kageyama seems to have that pinched look on his face as he glances over at him from the corner of his eye.

_Make a choice_ , Sakusa had advised earlier that morning.

Well, Hinata _chooses_ not to let his break-up dictate how his teammates are going to treat him. The last thing he wants is for all of them to baby him and feel sorry for him.

The thought of their misplaced pity creates a spark of anger deep within him, but it dies down not a moment later, only to be replaced with a fierce determination.

No, Hinata isn’t going to let this break-up get the best of him. He is a goddamn adult. He is better than this. Hinata catches Atsumu’s eye as he surveys the room and watches as the blonde flashes him a lopsided smirk, making Hinata almost weak in the knees.

Nope, nope. Best not to go there.

Clearing his throat, Hinata looks around at everyone and stretches his mouth into, what he hopes, is a believable grin. “I’m great, actually!”

“...Really?” Hyakuzawa asks, not looking even remotely convinced.

“Yep,” Hinata says, popping the ‘p’ sound in emphasis, “It’s really good to see everyone again! I’m excited about this interview. When is it starting, anyway?”

If anyone catches on to his blatant deflecting, then they don’t comment further on it, and Hinata is saved when he hears his name being called from across the gym.

“Hinata-kun!” 

Two familiar journalists approach the group with twin smiles on their faces, Hinata grins at them in greeting and waves. “Akane-san, Fumi-san! How are you guys?” 

“Good! Glad you could make it,” Fumi says, smiling at everyone in a friendly manner. “It’s so cool to see all of you together again.”

“It really is,” Hinata agrees, “I heard we have you two to thank for setting all of this up?”

Akane’s expression immediately turns smug at that, and she begins to chuckle behind her hand. “We’re pretty amazing, right? And Kuroo-san said it couldn’t be done. We definitely showed him.”

“We just didn’t think everyone would agree, you know?” Fumi adds, looking equally proud of their accomplishment. “I’m so glad it worked out despite all of your busy schedules.”

Hinata grins. “Is Kuroo here? He’s in charge of this whole thing, isn’t he?”

“He’s stuck in a few meetings for now, but he’ll be in charge of the questioning during the interview portion.”

“So, what’s first on the agenda then?” Hinata asks, folding his hands behind his head as he cocks his head to the side to view the clipboards the two women are holding in their hands. “I know there is an interview and photoshoot…?”

They both nod their heads in confirmation. Akane flips the clipboard in her hand around and points to the schedule printed on the paper.

“So, first are your individual shots in your uniforms, and then we will do a few group photos. After that, we’ll have you guys set-up for the panel interview,” Fumi explains.

Akane’s eyes brighten at the mention of the interview. “Along with some more formal questioning as is expected with an interview such as this one. We got the green-light from Kuroo-san to mix things up a little for the latter half.”

Hinata looks from one girl to the other. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Let’s just say we let our _very_ passionate Twitter followers have some say in what questions we should ask you guys.”

Hinata raises a brow at Akane’s sly expression and looks over his shoulder at Hyakuzawa who was still lingering at his side. “...I’m suddenly terrified.”

The taller man shrugs helplessly in response, and Akane brings the clipboard closer to her mouth to hide her amusement, waving her other hand dismissively. “Please, Hinata-kun. Don’t be so dramatic. It’s all in good fun.”

“At whose expense?”

“All of yours, of course.”

When Hinata’s expression continues to be one of growing suspicion, Fumi leans in, muttering to him under her breath. “Don’t worry, I made sure to field the questions first. They’re really not that bad.” Her comforting admission allows Hinata to take a breath of relief. She smiles at his reaction and snaps her fingers as she seems to remember something. “Oh by the way, Hinata-kun, Oikawa-san was looking for you just a minute ago.”

All at once, Hinata feels like all the air is sucked out of him, the good humor of the moment immediately falling away to make room for the building sense of anxiety that has been on the forefront of his mind since he first learned that Oikawa would be here. 

Okay, this is it.

This is Hinata’s chance to show Oikawa that he’s _moved on_. Over it. Over _him_. He’s been mentally preparing himself for this very moment for the last six months. He can do this.

The mental pep talk he gives himself helps only slightly as he reminds himself to _breathe_.

“I was just speaking to him earlier...where did he go?” Fumi continues, looking around the room before seeming to spot him in the distance somewhere over his head. “...Oh! There he is. Speaking to Yaku-san and Gao-san over there!”

Hinata feels his heart begin to pound uncontrollably in his chest when he forces himself to look over to where Fumi is pointing. It doesn’t take him long to catch sight of him. No matter where he is, Oikawa always manages to draw the attention in the room to him like moths to flame, and even after all this time, Hinata isn’t immune to it.

The brunette is standing by the entrance of the gym—in all of his annoyingly handsome glory—wearing the baby blues of his San Juan jersey like the colors were made to bring out the perfect bronzing of his skin. He looks almost exactly as Hinata remembered him— _better even_ , if that's even possible. The sideswept chestnut hair, the firm line of his jaw. Everything in Hinata screams at him to look away, to preserve his own sanity, but he’s frozen in place, staring at his ex like he’s looking at a ghost.

And then, Oikawa turns to meet his gaze.

All of the bravado that Hinata has built up within himself deflates like a popped balloon when their eyes meet from across the room. 

“I—”

Transfixed, Hinata watches, breath hitching, as Oikawa says something dismissive to Yaku, who looks more than a little annoyed by the exchange, and starts to make his way toward him and instantly it’s like his fight or flight instincts are activated.

Hinata reasons with himself that he still has time. He can run. His ex is on the other side of the gym. Hinata could probably make it out the exit that they just came through in one minute flat if he turned around right now. Is it cowardly to run? Sure. Yes. Definitely. But the option is infinitely better than having to hold this impromptu reunion while all of his former team watches on. 

Not to mention _Atsumu_. 

Oh god, Atsumu.

Hinata is just about to pivot on his heel when the weight of someone leaning into him causes him to shake out of his stupor. An arm is thrown around his shoulder, keeping Hinata firmly in place, and suddenly the option to flee no longer becomes viable.

He doesn’t even have to look up to know who it is. Because he felt this touch so intimately pressed against him not hours before...

“Atsumu-san…” Hinata says, looking up to see brown eyes watching him as intently as ever.

“Shouyou-kun,” Atsumu greets casually, a smirk ever present on his face. Though, there’s a tension in his jawline that wasn’t there before, “I was just looking for you.”

“Funny,” a voice says from beside them, “So was I.”

Hinata reminds himself that it’s been six months since Oikawa walked out of his life.

Six months since they last had a real conversation that ended with Oikawa choosing his career over him, and leaving Hinata to pick up the pieces of his life in the aftermath of that decision.

And Hinata knows that if ever there was a moment that he needed to say something incredibly cool and suave to show his ex that he’s moved on, or at least...give the pretense that he’s moved on anyway—then _this_ would definitely be the one.

But all he can think to say is...

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Oikawa says with an almost hesitant smile. And Hinata’s heart squeezes at the sight. Is it just him, or does the other man look...hopeful? Apologetic? Unsure? Or is that just Hinata projecting his own feelings onto him. It’s hard to think straight, not when Oikawa is standing right next to him—beautiful and terrifying and _here, right here_ for the first time since—

“Yo,” Atsumu cuts in, voice flat and unwelcoming, and the sound of it makes Oikawa’s eyes shift over to give him an assessing look. His eyes snap down to where Atsumu’s arm is draped over Hinata’s shoulders.

Oikawa’s smile instantly turns sharp. “Miya.”

“Heard you decided to crash the party,” Atsumu says, and Hinata notes distantly that their former teammates have formed a semi-circle behind the blonde, expressions varying from cautious to straight hostile as they survey the brunette in front of them.

“I was invited here,” Oikawa corrects, seemingly unaffected by the rude stares. 

Hinata wants to tell everyone to kindly _chill out,_ including himself, but he can barely form the words to even constitute as a response. So, instead he just kind of stands there, a bit helplessly, swiveling his head back and forth between Atsumu and Oikawa, and wondering if he’s imagining the tension between them.

“Actually,” Akane coughs behind her clipboard, “You kind of invited yourself, Oikawa-san.”

Fumi elbows her in the side for her candor, causing the other girl to sputter and fall a few paces back. When she turns to face them, she makes sure to keep a polite smile on her face. “Not that we are not happy to have you here, Oikawa-san! It’s truly an honor! We are so fortunate that you agreed to come!”

“Are we, though?” Atsumu mutters snidely, causing the other man’s eye to twitch imperceptibly, before Oikawa’s mask slides back into place.

“I’m very excited to be part of such an important event,” Oikawa drawls, voice dripping with forced civility, “Hopefully, I can provide some much needed _class_ to the occasion.”

Hinata chooses then to cut in, because he has enough good sense to not let this conversation progress further than it needs to. Especially not when he can feel Atsumu rear back beside him as if gearing up for a fight.

“H-how have you been?” Hinata asks, steadying his voice in hopes that his ex doesn’t catch just how nervous he is.

Oikawa doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, his gaze falls down to meet Hinata’s, and something like resolve reflects in his piercing, brown eyes. “I’m good,” he says, pausing for a moment as he looks him up and down, eyes narrowing on something in particular just below Hinata’s gaze. “And _you_?”

“Good.” Great. Fantastic. Hinata is totally nailing this conversation. 

“Do you think we could go somewhere and talk, Shou-chan?”

Hinata outwardly winces at the familiarity of the name, not able to stop his own reaction, and when Oikawa notices, his smile falters in place. 

“Well, uh…”

“Hate to interrupt,” Fumi nervously interjects, gesturing at her clipboard yet again. “But we kind of have a busy schedule ahead of us, so...maybe you guys can catch up some other time?”

Atsumu shoots the brunette a smug look at that, to which Oikawa returns with a thinly-veiled scowl of his own, before turning back to Hinata. “Later then?”

Hinata finds himself nodding despite his better judgement. “Later,” he repeats.

“Come on, Oikawa-san, I can show you where to put down your things,” Fumi offers, and before Hinata can say anything further, Atsumu is tugging him away towards the others while Oikawa is ushered to the other side of the gym.

“God, the nerve of that guy,” Atsumu growls once they’re out of hearing range of the other man, fingers gripping tighter around Hinata’s shoulder. The extended contact does funny things to Hinata’s stomach, and he tries not to focus too hard on it.

“Seriously,” Hoshiumi grits out in agreement from beside them. “Who does he think he is? Class? What class?”

“That guy has less class than all of us put together,” Atsumu scoffs.

“If he thinks he can just stroll up to you like that,” Yaku begins, cracking his knuckles in a scarily intimidating fashion. “Then, he’s got another thing coming. I gave him a piece of my mind the second he walked into the gym.”

Hinata shoots him a disbelieving look, suddenly remembering the sight of Oikawa and him talking by the entrance of the gym not moments before. “Yaku-san, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I would have done more if he hadn’t walked away like a coward,” Yaku sneers, “When I heard what he did, Shouyou, I got so—“

The statement has Hinata digging his heels in place, causing Atsumu to get pulled back with him with a yelp, his arm falling from his shoulders. The others slow to a stop as well, and Hinata narrows his eyes and looks around at all of them. 

“...What exactly do you guys think he did?” Hinata asks slowly.

The men beside him all exchange looks. Bokuto is opening and closing his mouth, looking both ready to answer and flee at the same time. Sakusa pinches his nose, looking skyward as Ushijima looks blankly at the others around him and back at Hinata.

“I, for one, have no idea what is going on,” Ushijima states. When Hoshiumi shoves at him from the side, the taller man only glares down at him in confusion. “What? You guys are all acting very strange. And you guys made me walk away before I could ask Oikawa how the international circuit is going on his end. I heard Argentina was in the top three this year.”

“Did you not read the messages in the group text, Wakatoshi?” Hoshiumi grumbles from behind his hand. “I thought we told you!”

“I removed myself from that group the second you added me,” Ushimjima says, not looking remotely guilty about it. “I get updates from Kiyoomi-san if they’re important.”

Sakusa arches a brow. “Which they rarely are.”

“As I expected.”

“I muted the group text, but I’m still somehow better informed,” Kageyama states, squinting his eyes at Hinata in a considering manner. “You and Oikawa. You guys broke up, right?”

“Yeah, we did. Six months ago, but...” Hinata shakes his head, “You guys are all acting like...like Oikawa-san did something awful, but it’s not like that at all. It just...didn’t work out. That’s all.” 

He shrugs, trying to make light of the situation, but Atsumu narrows his eyes at him thoughtfully.

“You guys were together for how long?”

“...Five years?”

“And did he or did he not break up with you?” Atsumu continues, placing a hand beneath his own chin. “After ya picked up yer entire life and decided to move back to Brazil to be closer to him? 

“I mean, if you want to get technical about it. Then, I guess _he_ did, but—”

“And after all of that, Oikawa then decides to ambush ya at this interview?” Atsumu asks with a distinct scowl on his face, placing his hands on his hips. “Dontcha think that’s kind of fucked up, Shouyou-kun?”

“I wouldn’t _really_ call it an ambush—” Hinata attempts yet again to explain, but is promptly stopped when Hoshiumi slams his hands on both of his shoulders, leaning in close so that their noses are almost touching.

“You want me to fight him, Shouyou?” Hoshiumi says seriously, “I can take him.”

“Hoshiumi, you can’t just issue a threat of violence for everything,” Komori objects, shaking his head. “We’re still dealing with the fallout from the last guy you threatened, remember?”

“Oh, when he got that restraining order?” Suna snickers, looking more than a little amused when Hoshiumi makes a rude gesture at him with his hands. “Classic.”

“ _Which_ restraining order?” Gao asks with a roll of his eyes, and Hoshiumi turns to shoot all of them a withering glare. 

“Can’t you losers see that I’m trying to comfort Shouyou here?”

“You’re not doing a very good job at it,” Kageyama points out bluntly.

Hinata shakes his head, wanting to almost laugh at his team’s antics. “That’s not necessary, Korai-san.” He pats the hands still on his shoulders comfortingly. “Can we all just get through today? Please? Without harming Oikawa in any capacity?”

He gives them all a knowing look.

“Physical harm or emotional harm?” Yaku asks Hinata in a no-nonsense tone. From beside the libero, Aran blinks down at him in alarm, and Yaku rubs at his nose intimidatingly causing the taller man to inch away from him.

“It’s always the little ones,” Suna mutters over at him when Aran side steps closer to him.

“Little and feral,” Aran observes with a shiver, “They definitely go hand and hand.” 

“Absolutely _no_ type of harm,” Hinata clarifies with a stern look. “Or I will give you guys a new definition of little and feral.”

“But—” Atsumu starts.

“Nope,” Hinata cuts him off. “We are going to be _civil_.”

“But _why?”_ Hoshiumi whines. “Aren’t break-ups about...you know, like... _winning?”_

“Hmm. The man’s got a point, Shouyou,” Bokuto says, nodding his head in agreement. 

Komori sidles beside Sakusa and frowns, chin in hand. “It is suddenly becoming remarkably easy to distinguish who here has actually been in a relationship and who hasn’t.”

“Speak for yourself, eyebrows!” Hoshiumi yells as Yaku holds him back by the shoulders. 

“It’s not about _winning_ ,” Hinata corrects firmly, looking at the men around him, “It’s about moving _on_ , you know?”

“Sure,” Atsumu agrees with a shrug. “That _and_ winning.”

“How does one _win_ a break-up?” Kageyama asks curiously, while Ushijima’s brows furrow in contemplation. Hinata half expects him to flip out a notebook and pencil and start taking notes.

“You _don’t_ ,” Aran tries to say, but Suna bats him away to shush him up. The dark-haired spiker clears his throat and explains, “See, you gotta appear the most _unaffected_ —that’s how you win.”

“Huh?”

“Like...ignore them?”

“No,” Suna asserts, shaking his head, “Openly ignoring them shows that you still care, else why would you waste all that energy to avoid one person? No, you gotta show them that you’re not bothered by them at all. _That’s_ the trick.”

“He’s got a point,” Hyakuzawa admits reluctantly. “Nothing is worse than encountering an ex who’s completely aloof towards you.”

Hinata cocks his head to the side. “Aloof? Like say—Omi-san?”

Sakusa shoots him a betrayed look. “What?”

“Yes, exactly,” Komori confirms, snapping his fingers. “To win the break-up, you gotta be like Kiyoomi. Be aloof. Be nonchalant. Be—”

“An asshole?” Atsumu calls out, snickering when Sakusa flips him off.

“Be _indifferent_ ,” Hyakuzawa corrects.

Kageyama scoffs at that, crossing his arms over his chest. “This dumbass wouldn’t know the first thing about being _indifferent_.”

“Hey!” Hinata calls out with a pout. 

“Am I wrong?”

“I could do it!” Hinata argues. “I could be aloof! I could be indifferent!”

“You have a terrible habit of saying exactly how you feel,” Kageyama counters with a knowing look. “And you’re too friendly for your own damn good.”

Hinata stops short at that. That’s probably the closest to a compliment that he’s ever going to get with Kageyama, even if it clearly wasn’t meant to be one. And judging from everyone else’s expressions around him, they also seemed to be in agreement with his statement.

“Okay then,” Hinata reluctantly concedes, shoulders lumping, “If you guys really think that winning the break-up is so important, then what should I do?”

“How about this…” Atsumu cocks his head to the side, hand coming up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. “What better way to show that you’ve moved on from the break-up then to show how happy you are now without the guy?”

“Oooh.” Bokuto claps his hands and rubs them together. “Now _that’s_ good.”

Hinata gives them a questioning look. “You mean…?”

“That’s right, Shouyou-kun. Just do what ya always do. Talk to all yer friends. Have the time of yer life,” Atsumu explains with a wave of his hands. “Because ya know what’s worse than an aloof ex?”

“What?”

“A _happy_ one.” 

“I actually agree with Atsumu this time,” Aran admits, his tone impressed. “It’s a solid move.”

“Which is surprising,” Suna adds with a teasing smirk, “Because I don’t believe you’ve ever actually _been_ in a relationship, ‘Tsumu.”

“Now, _wait_ _a second_ —”

Akane clears her throat from beside them, reminding Hinata and the others of her and Fumi’s presence. “Not that I’m not supportive of this whole situation or anything,” she shoots Hinata a supportive thumbs-up at that, “You got this, Hinata-kun,” before gesturing aggressively at her clipboard.

“But we’ve got a schedule to keep up with, and we needed all of you in hair and make-up _yesterday_! So, move it, people!”

Hinata laughs as Atsumu rolls his eyes and shoves him forward lightly. “Ya heard the lady. Move it, Shouyou-kun!”

“I’m going, I’m going.”

The rest of the group trudges along after them, and the conversation shifts to other topics _not_ related to Hinata’s love life, to which he’s eternally grateful for.

Atsumu has one of his hands absently playing with Hinata’s hair again as he walks beside him, and Hinata is beginning to wonder if this might be becoming a habit for the other man. There’s a moment when Atsumu looks down at him, and his expression becomes almost earnest and hopeful again. It’s the same look he gave him the night before, when he had asked him if he wanted to spend the night together.

And it makes Hinata feel a little bit nervous when Atsumu asks, “You are though, aren’t ya?” The hand in his hair stills. “...Happy?”

There's probably a dozen other things the two of them need to discuss. Like how Atsumu feels about him and whether or not Hinata might feel the same. They should probably at least talk about what happened last night, so they can figure out where they stand. But a part of him can't help but think back to his conversation with Sakusa earlier that morning. 

_“It’s only unfair if you don’t choose.”_

Well, Hinata reflects, maybe the only way to fill up the space that someone leaves behind is to find someone else who’s willing to take up that space. And if Oikawa made his choice, then why can't Hinata make his own, too?

Hinata beams up at Atsumu.

“Yeah. I am. I will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Okay, whose team are you on now? Team Atsumu? Team Oikawa? Team-Hinata-Needs-to-Learn-Better-Coping-Mechanisms-Than-Hopping-on-Another-Guy's-Dick? Yeah, same.
> 
> (2) I promise the actual interview is in the next chapter! I just had to split it up because I was having too much fun writing some random interactions between characters and it got wayyyy too long. (This fic is really self-indulgent for me if you can't tell lol.)
> 
> (3) [ Follow me here on Twitter <3](https://twitter.com/earlgrey_mt/status/1341231336879779840?s=20)


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